


A Miscellaneous Bionicle Anthology

by ExoZadakh



Category: Bionicle - All Media Types
Genre: Many different stories, No real theme, both G1 and G2, some torture in chapter 8, yandere shenanigans in chapter 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-04-25 11:58:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 21,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14378187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExoZadakh/pseuds/ExoZadakh
Summary: 17 short Bionicle stories I've written over the years.  Rather than posting them all separately, it seems easier to just compile them, even if there isn't a unifying theme.





	1. Bond of Heresy

A sea of movement lay before his eyes. Matoran, Toa, and countless other species wove around each other as they ran between the shattered remains of what had once been the body of their Great Spirit and the slowly rising structure of a new village. Taken over by Makuta and rendered uninhabitable in combat, the massive robot that had once housed a universe was now being evacuated so a new life could begin on Spherus Magna. It was a beautiful scene—species long thought of as enemies working together for the greater good, with the natives of this world welcoming them with open arms.

The sight filled him with disgust.

From atop a cliff overlooking the crowd, Ahkmou scowled. The Po-Matoran had long been a valuable (or so he assumed) ally to the Makuta, and had been rewarded with control over the city of Metru-Nui once the villain's plan reached completion. Then came the day the sky was torn open, Makuta was killed, and Ahkmou found himself facing very, very real danger.

_Even those "noble" Toa would probably kill me on sight,_  he thought.  _I was lucky to escape before they found me. Chances are they either think I'm dead, or don't care to see if I'm alive._

A more sentimental being might be hurt by this realization. Ahkmou only grew angry.

"I was supposed to be one of them," he seethed. "If I had the power of a Toa, I could make them all bow to me again! I would make them suffer if my destiny hadn't been stolen from me!"

"Destiny? You cling to  _destiny_ …"

Ahkmou suddenly felt cold. He dared not turn around to see who the harsh, contemptuous voice belonged to, merely remained still as a statue as the sound of footsteps grew steadily louder. A spear was thrust into the rock beside him, granting him view of the scaly hand that clutched it.

"Another Matoran…one who wants to be a Toa. You should have died with your Great Spirit."

Ahkmou gulped. "I-I have no love f-for Mata Nui. I'm glad he's g-gone."

The stranger replied with eerie silence, and Ahkmou found himself continuing to speak. "Maybe I am a Matoran, but it's not like I chose to be. And I certainly don't want to be a Toa like them!"

He made a shaky gesture towards the Toa below. Seconds later, he could feel the stranger's noxious breath battering him as a question formed: "Not like them? You are not like them?"

His anger granting bravery, Ahkmou responded, "Of course not! I hate them!"

The stranger chuckled, a terrible noise that sent a shiver down Ahkmou's spine. "You hate them. Good, you hate them. We hate them too. Convince me that I shouldn't hate you."

Words spilled out of Ahkmou, relating a brief summary of his most noteworthy deeds: plotting to steal the Great Disks only to be foiled by Toa; spreading a plague among his people only to be found out and punished by Turaga; feeling not the slightest inkling of guilt as he enslaved and commanded his fellow Matoran during his great (if short) reign over Metru-Nui. He spoke of how he was, without a doubt, the most hated, treacherous Matoran in the eyes of his species, and that he was perfectly fine with that. The stranger did nothing but listen attentively.

"I don't care what they  _think_  of me. I care that they  _won_. Now I'm cursed to hide from them like a coward because the power I so rightfully deserve was robbed from me—stolen by Onewa and the others, and then ripped from my grasp by Mata Nui himself! I want that power back…I want to use it against them.  _All_  of them."

When Ahkmou was finished, he waited for the stranger's reply. Moments later, a hand grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around before he could protest, bringing him mask-to-jaws with a Zyglak. A hideous grin was spread across the creature's face.

"Your hatred is real. You are an outcast.  _You are like us_."

Ahkmou attempted to hide the terror in his eyes. He was unsuccessful.

Letting go of him, the Zyglak added, "I think I won't kill you. You are a Matoran, but not like the other Matoran…how interesting. We never expected to find something like you."

Pulling its spear out of the ground, the Zyglak turned and took a few steps away from Ahkmou. It then paused and looked back over its shoulder.

"Perhaps I won't hate you. Perhaps I'll even give you a choice. Take your chances with me, or take your chances in the wild…or take your chances with them."

Ahkmou took a long, hard look at the Zyglak, fathoming the sheer depth of his fear for the monster. Then he looked back at the settlement the Toa were building, letting his bottomless rage wash over him.

With a hateful smile, he turned and followed the Zyglak.


	2. Abyssal Obsession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for stalking, murder, and general yandere shenanigans

Vhisola sat quietly, eyes fixated on the tiny tablet she held in her hand. Etched into the stone with loving detail was an image of Nokama, the teacher she had come to care so deeply about. The Ga-Matoran slowly drew her fingers down the side of the tablet.

_It's all for you, Nokama…everything I do is for you…_

The sound of footsteps caught her attention. Carefully tucking the carving into her bag, Vhisola moved into a crouch and peered above the edge of the bulky fountain she was hiding behind. Being on the outskirts of Ga-Metru, the plaza was very rarely visited, so Turaga Dume saw no reason to assign any Vahki to guard the location. It was a perfect spot for Vhisola's purposes.

Through the darkness, she spotted another Ga-Matoran—Hara, a fellow student at the Ga-Metru schools. Hara had joined class only recently and had been struggling to keep up, so Nokama had offered to take some extra time to tutor her in order to help her catch up with the rest of the class.

_She's trying to steal Nokama away from me._

In Vhisola's mind, any time Nokama spent with Hara was time the teacher could be spending with Vhisola. Her time with Nokama was precious, and Vhisola would not let anyone take it away. Hara would have to be the example.

Using a Weaken Kanoka, Vhisola had broken into Hara's desk and planted a message luring her to this location, then fixed it with a Regeneration disk to reduce suspicion. If the desk looked fine, Hara would assume the message came from someone who knew the combination to the lock—probably a friend or faculty member. The trap had worked, and the Matoran was now right where Vhisola wanted her.

Just loud enough that Hara could hear, Vhisola croaked, "Help…please, help me…"

Thinking another Matoran was in danger, Hara immediately bolted towards the fountain. Vhisola unlimbered her disk launcher, took aim, and fired.

Aiming was often unnecessary with Ga-Metru disks, which flew according to the user's thoughts, but Vhisola wanted to be sure there were no mistakes. The Kanoka struck Hara square in the mask and unleashed its freezing power. Her head now encased in a block of ice, Hara crawled toward the fountain as Vhisola stepped out of her hiding place. Vhisola mercilessly bashed her launcher into the back of Hara's head, slamming her into the fountain hard enough that the ice shattered.

Hara's body went limp. After kicking her a few times, Vhisola was positive she was unconscious.

"You shouldn't have tried to come between me and Nokama."

Attaching the weapon to her back, Vhisola grabbed Hara's ankles and dragged her across the plaza to a sealed trapdoor that served as an entrance to the Archives. As quietly as possible, Vhisola pried open the covering, checked to make sure no one was watching, and unceremoniously tossed Hara over the edge. She quickly climbed down on her own and verified Hara was still out. Taking hold of her by the ankles again, Vhisola dragged her deeper into the tunnel.

It was not long before Vhisola spotted her goal: an old Kavinika exhibit that even the Archivists had forgotten was there. The sight filled her with savage excitement. In an earlier visit she had broken the outer shell—easily the most difficult part of this scheme—and now needed only to graze the inner layer to awaken the Rahi.

_Kavinika are so vicious, they'll attack just about anything that moves. Groggy as she is, there's no way Hara will be able to get away from it._

Vhisola came to a stop a short distance away from the stasis tube. Letting go of her captive, she readied her disk launcher again and began backing up. When she was as far away as she could get while still having a clear shot, the crazed Matoran came to a halt and began to wait. Eerily still she stood, carefully watching both Hara and the wolf that would be her demise. It seemed like an eternity, but Vhisola remained patient—no effort was too great to protect her relationship with Nokama.

At last, Hara stirred. Vhisola fired a disk, watched it strike the tube, and then turned and sprinted for the exit. Hissing filled the air as stasis gas leaked out, quickly replaced by the furious snarling of the Kavinika as it woke from its long rest. The Rahi broke its way out of the tube and looked around, eyes settling on Hara.

Now conscious, the unfortunate Ga-Matoran sat up and clutched the side of her head. A low growl alerted her to the Kavinika's presence.

As she sealed the tunnel entrance, Vhisola could not help but smile at the faint screams that reached her ears.

***

The next day, Vhisola happily walked into Nokama's class as if nothing had happened. When class was over, she approached the teacher and asked if she would like to play some akilini.

"Well…" Nokama muttered, looking out over the classroom, "I did have an appointment with Hara, but she doesn't seem to be here today. I'd like to wait a few more minutes and see if she shows up, but if she doesn't, I'd be delighted to join you."

Grinning, Vhisola returned to her desk and watched the clock patiently. She had nothing to worry about, after all. Hara wouldn't be coming to steal Nokama away ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In 2013 I got it in my head that Vhisola could fit into the yandere archetype. I'm…not really sure what else to say about this one. Since then I have tried to characterize her in a somewhat more mellow way, which has resulted in a couple of longer stories that I’m also reposting here, so keep an eye out for those if you’re interested.


	3. Hint to Greatness

Ehrye pushed open the crystalline door and strolled into the room. "Nuju, I have a delivery for you!"

Not taking his eye off the telescope, Nuju said, "I have told you before, Ehrye: you must learn to knock."

"Well…do you want the delivery or not?"

Nuju sighed. The scholar turned and snatched the tablet from Ehrye's hand, noticing that its cloth covering had been unfolded. He gripped the item tightly.

"You opened it."

Ehrye tried to back away slightly. "Well, I was curious. If I'm going to be a scholar someday, I need to start learning as much as I can. It's some fascinating research you and Jaa are working on! I was wondering—"

Nuju held up his hand to silence the messenger. Very slowly, he walked over to his desk, set down the tablet, and then tapped his fingers a few times. Before long, he leaned down to open the bottom drawer and pulled out a stack of dusty tablets. He set them on the table, turned to Ehrye, and pointed to them.

"Take these to Tower 19."

Ehrye's eyes widened. "19?! You're kidding!"

Nuju said nothing. Remembering that the scholar never liked to repeat a request, Ehrye sullenly gathered the stone slabs into his bag and headed out the door.

Tower 19 was far from Nuju's tower, all the way at the border to Onu-Metru. But it wasn't the long trip that bothered Ehrye. This particular Knowledge Tower had been designated as storage for things the scholars no longer saw any use for, with the intention being that they could be safely preserved until someone had use for them once more. However, in Ko-Metru, things with no further use for the future were considered little more than trash, and Tower 19 had become a thing of disgust. Nothing that went through its doors was ever seen again, earning its reputation as "the graveyard of ideas." Scholars made use of it due to encouragement from Turaga Dume, but rarely travelled there themselves, leaving it a derogatory task assigned to messengers as punishment.

This would be Ehrye's tenth visit…or perhaps twelfth? He had lost count after dropping off Jaa's disproven Spirit Star Theory. Regardless, it never became any less humiliating.

When Ehrye stepped through the doors, he immediately spotted the tower's caretaker asleep on his desk. He kicked the piece of furniture, providing enough vibration to jolt the old Matoran awake.

"Huh?! Oh, Ehrye. Back so soon?"

Ehrye scowled. "I have some old prediction logs from Nuju. Where do you want me to file them?"

The caretaker mumbled to himself and went over some notes he had hastily chiseled down. The process took longer than Ehrye had hoped, but eventually he was directed to the far corner of the first floor, where an ancient cabinet topped with a pile of relics stood.

Ehrye tried the door. It was stuck. He pulled harder to no avail, and then decided to give a violent tug. All he succeeded in doing was burying himself in a rain of debris.

"Clean that up!" the caretaker shouted. "If it's so difficult, then just leave the tablets there and I'll put them away myself."

Ehrye dug himself out and sat up. A dizzy feeling overcame him, alerting him to the fact that his mask had been dislodged in the avalanche. Blindly grasping for it, he cut himself on the jagged edge of some glass object.

_Oh great._

When at last he found his mask, Ehrye reattached it and sighed with relief. He took a good look at what he had cut his hand on: half of a broken globe of black glass with ancient star charts printed on it.

Despite himself, Ehrye chuckled. This artifact was more infamous in Ko-Metru, for it was something else that became no less humiliating over time. Ages ago, an eccentric scholar had theorized that the world they inhabited was round and floated inside a shell imprinted with stars, which spun as the stars changed. Once the domes were discovered, that particular scholar had disappeared rather quickly.

It seemed like a good place to start. Picking up the shattered globe, Ehrye stepped towards the ladder granting access to the top of the cabinet, but something made him pause. A very small tablet could be seen inside the remains of the globe. Fishing it out, Ehrye squinted—tiny lettering had been carved into the piece of stone. Ehrye had trained himself to read small print (through reading the many detailed tablets of scholars that he had been tasked with delivering), so he was just barely able to make out the words:

"In Ko-Metru, find where sky and ice are joined."

Ehrye frowned.  _What is this supposed to be?_

He absent-mindedly turned the stone over. On the side opposite the riddle, there was an image of a Kanoka with the code 429. A Great Disk. Gradually, the confusion gave way to surprised awe.

_Is this…a clue to finding Ko-Metru's Great Disk?!_

The caretaker yawned loudly. Remembering that he was being watched, Ehrye tucked the stone into his bag and hurriedly cleaned up the mess. Once he was back on the street, he slipped into an alleyway and took another look at the small tablet.

Ehrye was unsure how to proceed. If this really was a clue to the Great Disk's location, he could easily rise to the rank of scholar—maybe even higher. But was a hint such as this really so reliable? It was likely planted by that eccentric scholar, and if he could be so wrong about one thing, perhaps he was wrong about this as well.

He cast a glance back up at Tower 19. Cracks ran all along the crystal's length, and there were places where entire chunks had been torn out.

Ehrye smiled.  _If it's wrong, no one will know. I'm not going to miss my chance._

He ran off towards his next stop, already wondering which Knowledge Tower his office would be placed in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Another contest entry, another spotlight on a Great Disk Matoran. I had to rush the ending a bit to keep it under the word limit, but still, I think this is one of my favorites out of the stories presented here.  
> -Ehrye never really struck me as a bad guy. He's described as impatient and impulsive, making him quite out of place amongst Ko-Matoran—so Tower 19 was presented as a similar paradox he could be associated with to illustrate how outcast he was. And of course, a tower people preferred to forget about seemed like a good place to hide the clue to finding such a legendary artifact.


	4. Opportunity for Ambition

Tehutti rolled his eyes as Mavrah came running into the study.

"Tehutti! Come—come see this!"

Mavrah tried to pull Tehutti from his seat, but Tehutti refused to budge.

"Calm down!" Tehutti snapped. "What are you going on about now?"

Mavrah beat his hand against the table in excitement, saying, "I've found it! I've found a remarkable specimen! You have to see it!"

Tehutti could not bring himself to care about Mavrah's ramblings any more than usual. His job of going over these tablets, however, had become so tedious that the lines appeared to be running together. After quickly making sure there were no Rorzakh around, he set down the tablets and got out of his seat.

Mavrah dragged him down the hall to an elevator and pressed the button to summon it, bouncing excitedly as they waited.

"You're embarrassing yourself," Tehutti said. "You know that, right?"

Unfazed, Mavrah's eyes continued to gleam with energy. "You'll understand once you see it! Oh, Tehutti, it's so magnificent! It's unbelievable!"

_What's unbelievable is how you can jump continuously like that without gears flying out of your body…_

The two of them stepped into the elevator when it arrived. Mavrah pressed the button for the lowest available sublevel; his movement calmed a bit so as not to rock the lift, but his foot was rapidly tapping. Just as the noise was about to drive Tehutti insane, the doors opened, and Mavrah dashed out. The leader tugged on Tehutti's arm hard, creating a sharp pain and nearly dislocating his shoulder.

"Ouch! Hey, careful with that!"

"Sorry! Just hurry! It's this way!"

Tehutti shook his head and ran faster to avoid having his arm torn off. Mavrah always did this whenever he discovered something: he would get overexcited, grab the nearest friend he could find, and drag them away to join in his elation. Usually, he turned out to be mistaken. Even though he had been right a few times, Mavrah hadn't even been able to secure an exhibit with his name on it yet, but oddly enough he did not seem discouraged by this.

That didn't make sense to Tehutti. An Archivist wasn't really an Archivist until he had at least one exhibit to his name—that was just how things worked in Onu-Metru. Of course, there was only a limited amount of history to study and Rahi to catalogue. It was very difficult to pass the criteria for a new exhibit these days.

His frustration now amplified, Tehutti asked, "Just how much farther is this, Mavrah? How much time do you think I have to waste?"

Mavrah grumbled, "It's not a waste of time…not much farther, okay?"

"At least tell me what it is."

"No, you have to see it!"

"Sometimes, Mavrah…"

The sublevels were extremely bare, especially compared to the rest of the Archives. A few doors lined each tunnel, but most were locked, and even some of the Archivists who had the keys still weren't sure what was inside each chamber. It took a few minutes before Mavrah finally came to a stop before a bend in the tunnel.

"Alright, are you ready?"

"…No. Maybe you should drag me around a bit more until I am."

"Oh, shut up. Just take a look at this!"

The Onu-Matoran both stepped around the corner. Trapped beneath a transparent container (with a pile of rocks on top to keep it from being moved) alongside the tunnel's side was a Fikou. However, this was a Fikou unlike any Tehutti had ever seen. It was about the size of his fist—not an entirely uncommon size—but a spiked tail extended from its rear, and even from this distance it could be seen glowing with an eerie magenta light.

"…Oh," was the first word that came out of Tehutti's mouth.

Mavrah beamed with pride. "See?! What did I tell you?! A bioluminescent Fikou with a tail! Nobody's ever recorded one of these, which means I discovered it! And that's not all—take a closer look."

Tehutti cautiously approached the trapped creature, which stood its ground and thrashed its tail back and forth in response. Further observation revealed that the Fikou had scales covering its body, and its head looked more like an ice bat…well, a three-eyed ice bat.

"Remarkable…" Tehutti said. "Can you even still call this a Fikou? It's like an entirely different species."

"I guess we will need a new name, won't we?" Mavrah mused. "Maybe the 'Mavrah spider'? I sort of like the sound of that! Haha, this will get me an exhibit for sure!"

The Fikou kicked the glass, but the Matoran paid its aggression no mind. Turning back to his friend, Tehutti said, "I guess so…congratulations, Mavrah."

"Don't be jealous, Tehutti, I'll give you a footnote in my report. Help me get this thing to the upper levels, alright?"

Tehutti sighed as Mavrah began to clear the rocks off the top of the container. He turned around just as the last stone was removed, and watched as the Fikou suddenly backed up against the side opposite of where Mavrah stood. The container slipped out of Mavrah's grasp and over a ridge in the ground, causing its edge to bounce up and provide just enough space for the Rahi to slip free.

"Grab it!" Mavrah shouted as he lunged.

The Fikou evaded his grasp, causing him to hit the ground and dislodge his mask. Before he could replace it, the Fikou spun around and used its tail to deal a blow to the Onu-Matoran's temple, sending him sprawling.

Tehutti stepped forward and kicked the Rahi into the wall. While it was still stunned, he grabbed the container and slammed it down, capturing the creature once more. Keeping one hand firmly in place, he grabbed Mavrah's mask and placed it back on his friend's face.

"Mavrah? Mavrah, are you alright?"

Mavrah stirred. He sat up slowly, muttering, "Tehutti…? Ugh, what happened?"

"The Rahi escaped," Tehutti explained. "It struck you in the head…does it hurt?"

Rubbing his wound, Mavrah said, "Rahi? What Rahi? How did we get here?"

Mavrah's eyes settled on the Fikou. He reacted with awe, shouting, "What the…?! Wow, amazing! A bioluminescent…Fikou? Or is it something different? Incredible!"

He scurried up to the container, observing the Rahi with fresh interest. Confused, Tehutti said, "Um…you don't remember it?"

Mavrah shook his head. "Last thing I remember is…sorting some receipts and ticket stubs with Whenua."

"…Mavrah…that was yesterday."

"Yesterday? But it feels like I was just there…"

It was then that Tehutti noticed venom dripping from the Fikou's tail. As he figured out what was happening, he knelt and looked directly into Mavrah's eyes.

"Mavrah…I think, when this Rahi attacked you, it injected you with some venom that wiped some of your memory. About 24 hours worth, I would guess."

Mavrah thought for a moment. "…Oh…then we'd better be careful in transporting it upstairs."

Tehutti shook his head. "You still want to get it upstairs?"

"You don't? With a discovery like this, you'd really make a name for yourself!"

"Hm?"

"You found a remarkable specimen, Tehutti! I'm sure they'll want to put it in an exhibit right away. Wow, your first exhibit…I'm a little jealous."

Tehutti's gaze drifted to the Fikou.  _That's right—he doesn't remember discovering this thing. Now he thinks I'm the one who found it…_

After a few moments of silence, Mavrah asked, "Tehutti? Something wrong?"

Tehutti grinned. "No…nothing at all. You're right—we should get this upstairs. Thanks again for offering to help me."

"You owe me for taking a hit, though."

"Of course, Mavrah."

The two of them began to carefully move the container, goading the Fikou along. Tehutti found it difficult to concentrate. He was far too excited that he was finally, finally going to get an exhibit with his name on it.

***

Mavrah walked in to find Tehutti with his head in his hands. "What's wrong?"

Tehutti didn't respond. A message from the Head Archivist was lying on his desk, so Mavrah quietly pulled it closer.

_TEHUTTI_

_We thank you for submitting the Fikou specimen for further review. I must inform you, however, that earlier we received a correspondence from a Ga-Metru school. Apparently, a group of students was conducting illegal experiments with energized protodermis and created several mutant Rahi, including a bioluminescent lizard-Fikou that found its way out into the city. We believe this specimen you discovered to be the escaped subject. Given this new information, I am afraid we cannot put the Fikou up on display, as it is both unnatural and the result of illegal activity. It is my dearest hope…_

Not needing to read the rest, Mavrah set the tablet down and looked back to Tehutti. "I'm so sorry, Tehutti. Maybe you'll have better luck next time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another favorite of mine. Tehutti never seemed too bad either, but here he's presented as decidedly more underhanded in pursuing his goals, willing to do even what he knows isn't right if it means he can achieve them. But since we couldn't upset things too much, a karmic return was necessary.


	5. A Machine's Philosophy

_Surrender or run,_  Whenua mused.  _Perhaps it really is that simple._

The Turaga of Earth ambled about the shattered remains of Metru-Nui. The blow that had killed Makuta Teridax had left the city damaged beyond repair, forcing its inhabitants (along with the rest of the universe) to evacuate to the new world of Spherus Magna. Uncertain times lay ahead, but everyone was willing to do their part, including Whenua.

But first…

Having spent years as an Archivist, Whenua held great respect for the lessons of the past, and always believed they provided answers necessary for the future. As a side-effect, the former hero often found himself lost in a wave of nostalgia. Before setting his sights on the future, he had decided, he would take one last look around his old home.

It had been more difficult than he had expected, not just due to the pain of leaving a city he had abandoned once before, but because harsh sunlight streamed in through a massive breach above. Whenua knew it would be some time before his eyes fully adjusted to the intense light that now lit his days.

Proceeding with his exploration, Whenua had found countless artifacts of a time long past—Kanoka, fragmented Masks of Power, and chute stations that had seen no activity for days or more. But now he stood over something that he had been truly shocked to find: the pieces of a deactivated Vahki.

The Turaga suppressed a shudder. As a Matoran he had lived in fear of the mechanical enforcers, and even as a Toa the mere sight of them had filled him with dread. Even he, as much as he loved the past, was happy that the Matoran had forgotten all about them as a result of Makuta's tampering with their memories, and hoped that they would simply fade out of history.

"Surrender or run." That was what the Matoran had been told to do when caught by a Vahki. So dedicated were the robots that when they acquired a target, they would not rest until they hunted down and subdued it. This statement, which became something of a motto, informed lawbreakers that they could either turn themselves in, or flee for a brief time before being captured anyway.

Whenua smiled.  _Or so they said._

Though capture by Vahki was always made out to be inevitable, he and the other Toa Metru had bested them on more than one occasion. They had chosen to run—to fight—and had in the end succeeded in completing their destiny. It had seemed a daunting task, perhaps even impossible, but they persisted and found a way to win.

Now, the entire universe Whenua had ever known faced a challenge that seemed far greater. Spherus Magna was, without a doubt, an exceptionally dangerous place. Already Toa had disappeared, disasters had occurred, and villains had slipped into the shadows with unknown purposes in mind. The way the Toa and Matoran reacted to these threats could determine their entire future.

_We could surrender—just give up and face extinction. The Great Beings created us to keep Mata Nui alive so that he could fulfill his duty, and now that he has, we have completed our purpose as well._

Whenua bent over the head of what had once been a Vahki Rorzakh. Without hesitation, he impaled it with his drill.

_Or we could run. We disregard the odds and make a new life here. Great Beings or not, I refuse to let anyone give my people an expiration date. I have defied order before, and now we shall all do so again. Past experience tells me that is the right course to take._

As he turned to leave his world behind for good, Whenua could not help but chuckle. After all their centuries of spreading fear, the Vahki had just managed to give him hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was actually the first one I wrote for those contests. "Surrender or run" was the theme, and I wanted to broaden it a bit and see if I could apply it to the trials the Matoran would face on Spherus Magna. Whenua seemed a natural choice.


	6. Woe Betide

"Only a Toa so mighty can ride, anyone else, woe betide."

The Matoran paused, hammer in mid-swing. "Ooh, I like that! I should write that down! Only a Toa so mighty can ride…"

Pulling his hammer back again, he resumed pounding the piece into place. The canister was beginning to take shape now—or at least he thought it was. It was difficult to see with such little light.

"How many will this be—four? How foolish, to lose track of that!"

The Matoran got up, putting as little weight as possible on his badly-twisted leg. He hobbled down the edge of the water, passing three large silver canisters as he went.

"Yes, this will be four. Get it together! Lose track again and I might make a seventh."

A shudder rocked the small villager. As he limped back to the half-complete canister, he heard scuttling movement in the darkness.

He froze. For all he knew, that sound could be anything—the Manas come to devour him, Karzahni come to drag him back to the forge, or something beyond his imagination. When a small lizard-like Rahi scampered up to him, he sighed with relief.

"You scared me. You're not here to hurt me…are you?"

The Rahi cocked its head.

"Hahaha! No, I suppose not. Forgive me, I've grown jumpy after all these years."

He sat down carefully, his damaged leg jutting out at an odd angle. Picking up his tools, he resumed work on the fourth canister for a few seconds before turning back to the Rahi.

"I can't say I recognize you…then again, I can't say I recognize much of anything. Why, I probably wouldn't even recognize my own reflection! Not that I'd have any use for a mirror down here, mind you."

Wondering why this giant was babbling at him, the Rahi inched closer, though it was sure to stay well out of reach.

"What was I saying? Oh, yes, I'm afraid I don't know what species you are. Or maybe your species doesn't have a name? Don't feel bad—I don't have a name either. Well, perhaps I used to have one, but not anymore."

Turning around, the lizard headed for one of the completed canisters. Upon seeing this, the Matoran dropped his tools and shouted out, "No!"

The Rahi stopped dead in its tracks.

"I don't mean to raise my voice, but it's dangerous! Don't you know what that is?"

Tentatively, the Rahi faced the Matoran once more. It almost seemed attentive.

Proudly, the Matoran proclaimed, "It's a Toa Canister, of course! And after all, only a Toa so mighty can ride, anyone else, woe betide!"

He chuckled and resumed his work. Curious, the lizard edged a bit closer.

"Yes, we built plenty of them, my brothers and sisters and I. That, I can remember clear as day. Everything else—nope! It's all gone."

As he reached for a plate of metal, he noticed that the Rahi now sat about a bio away. He thought he might scare the creature again if he made any sudden movements, so he pretended not to notice.

"But they didn't even tell the Toa about the canisters—not except for Tahu and Kopaka, of course. That hurt a bit, knowing they wouldn't know all the work we put into them. Not that I need acknowledgement, of course, I just think it's a shame to see something so wonderful be used without respect. Oh, there I go speaking ill of the Toa again. If Kopaka ever wakes up he'll freeze me for sure."

The Rahi was now close enough to run over several of the tools laid out. The Matoran slowly reached for a firestaff he could use to weld the pieces together.

"Then again, even if they do wake up, they'll never find me here. Nobody will find me here. That's why I'm building these canisters—it helps pass the time, and there is so much time to pass. There's more to it than that, though. Doing this helps me remember a bit about my old life. Not much, but every little bit is like a hidden treasure I never knew was there, and it's such a wonderful surprise!"

As he was welding, the Matoran felt the Rahi poking at his leg. He looked down and regarded the creature with a friendly smile.

"…Can you keep a secret?"

There was a pause in the conversation. After a time, however, the Rahi leapt up onto the Matoran and climbed all the way to his shoulder.

"Okay…once, I thought about using a canister to leave this place."

He waited for a response. The lizard's tongue flicked out of its mouth briefly.

"I know, it was a ridiculous idea. Look at me! It's obvious I'm no Toa, and only a Toa so mighty can ride, anyone else, woe betide. The last thing I need is woe."

Its work done, the Matoran moved to set down the firestaff. Before he could react, the Rahi rushed down his arm, onto the cave floor, and off into the darkness. He stared after it for a moment, and then returned to his work once again.

"Who was I talking to? Can't they see I'm busy? This is an important service for the Toa! Only a Toa so mighty can ride…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say about this one, really. It was written for a contest—I don't remember the theme, but it didn't end up winning anyway, so eh.


	7. Averted Trial

"Yep," Kualus commented, "it's definitely been through here."

He dismounted the Thornatus and waited for Onua to climb out of the cockpit. The Toa Nuva's adaptive armor shifted as he did so, reverting to a form identical to his original armor.

Before them lay the Valley of the Maze—or rather, its ruins. The once intimidating labyrinth was now nothing but a shattered wreck, with twisted walls and scrap metal jutting out at random. A layer of soot covered the rubble, leaving a dark trail running directly to the massive volcano at the heart of the mess.

"Guess the Great Beings didn't do as good a job fortifying the place as they thought," Kualus said. "Or they never expected a fiery dragon to come charging in."

In the confusion around the destruction of the Matoran Universe, a massive Rahi known as the Kanohi Dragon had escaped its prison on the island of Xia and flown off over the plains of Spherus Magna. It was difficult to suppress the panic that followed. The Kanohi Dragon was infamous for the destruction it had caused on Metru-Nui, and for the effort and time it took for the Toa Mangai to eventually defeat it. The thought of battling it while the evacuation was in progress was an unpleasant one.

Luckily, word had arrived—a nomad has spotted the Dragon flying towards the Valley of the Maze, a cryptic location that had once been home to the Great Beings. At its center was the Great Volcano, a massive source of heat that must have drawn the creature's attention. Kualus and Onua had been dispatched immediately to subdue it once more.

Onua summoned his Kanohi Kakama Nuva and activated its power, reaching out with his mind to share the burst of speed with his companion. The two Toa rocketed through the ruins in a matter of minutes, coming to a halt at the base of the volcano.

"You are sure that your Mask of Rahi Control will not work on it?" Onua asked.

Kualus shook his head. "My team fought this thing before, remember? It's an old and powerful Rahi—too strong to be controlled. Might have a chance once it's weakened, but I didn't try last time."

"I will draw its attention, then," the Toa of Earth said. "You attack from another angle with ice blasts. If you see an opportunity where the mask might work, take it."

His armor changed again, this time sprouting jet boosters at his shoulders and ankles. Grabbing Kualus by the arms, Onua mentally activated the equipment and rose into the air, soon reaching the top of the Great Volcano and depositing the Toa of Ice on its edge.

Kualus used his Sub-Zero Spear to steady himself.  _The heat is more intense than I expected…where's the Dragon?_

Carefully, he peered over the edge. Pipes and tubes ran down the interior of the Volcano, some sticking out of the walls and forming ledges with what appeared to be maintenance consoles. Stretched across three of these ledges was the Kanohi Dragon, its wings folded in and its eyes closed.

_It's asleep? Hardly looks like an engine of destruction when it's like this._

Kualus furrowed his brow.  _In fact…it actually looks peaceful. This volcano has become its nest, hasn't it? It's found a place where it can thrive without the annoyance of intrusions. Judging by the state of the Maze, it had to work pretty hard to find it._

Onua floated down and landed next to Kualus. His armor maintained its jets, but it had now morphed into a thicker, larger shell to protect its wearer from the heat. Freeze cannons were mounted on its wrists, and his Kanohi had taken the shape of a bulbous helmet with a transparent visor over his eyes.

"Are you ready?"

Hesitantly, Kualus replied, "This may sound crazy, but…maybe we should just leave it here."

Onua turned to his fellow Toa. Most companions would probably berate Kualus for his statement, claiming the heat was getting to him and preventing him from thinking clearly. Onua merely waited for him to explain.

"During my time as a Rahaga, I developed a real bond with Rahi—flyers, especially. You can't imagine the bliss they feel when they find the perfect nest, or the agony when a hunter takes that away from them. It may be more reptile than flyer, but I think this Dragon has found his perfect nest. All the heat he could ever want is right here, perpetually generated by the Great Beings' technology, and there's nothing for kio around that he has to compete with."

Kualus turned to the Dragon. "He's not hurting anyone by staying here. What real reason do we have for evicting him?"

Onua silently regarded the Rahi and considered Kualus's proposal. He was right, of course: the only living things they had passed in their journey had been a few Vorox and handful of other creatures he could not identify, none of which had ventured anywhere near the volcano. The Kanohi Dragon had to be captured because it was dangerous…but here, there was no one for it to pose a danger too.

"How do you want to explain this to Tahu?" Onua asked.

Kualus shrugged. "Spherus Magna is a big place. The Dragon was here before, but it's moved on, and we have no idea where to start looking."

Onua chuckled. "He won't be happy, but it'll probably go over better than saying we just let it go."

Placing a hand on Kualus's shoulder, he added, "A wise call, brother. We shall leave this Rahi in peace."

"Thank you," Kualus said. "…Can we get out of here now? This heat is awful!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny story about this one.  
> With these contests I keep mentioning, you were allowed to submit up to three entries. The only time I entered a single contest more than once was the contest that prompted this story, because after writing it, I felt displeased with it. So I wrote up the story I'll be posting next, thinking it would do much better than this one.  
> In the end, it was this story that won the contest. Go figure!  
> Taking another look, I think I can see why people liked this one. Kualus only had limited appearances in canon, especially as a Toa, so giving him a character moment here might've made some readers happy, and we've also got Onua being supportive as ever and showing off that awesome adaptive armor. Hey, a win's a win!


	8. Make It Stop

_Make it stop._

It was a simple phrase, one he had heard uttered time and time again. Never before had he realized how desperate a remark it truly was.

"MAKE IT STOP!"

The agony ceased. Gasping, the Toa relaxed his body and fell forward. The chains connecting him to the wall stopped him before he fell far.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

He looked up, glaring hatefully at the gold and blue armored Skakdi before him. The creature sneered at him, putting forth not even the slightest effort to hide just how much he was enjoying the Toa's pain.

With a chuckle, the Ce-Skakdi added, "I  _can_  make it stop, you know. Just give me the password. That's all you have to do."

His tone was gentle with an undertone of menace, though such details were lost on the battered Toa. All he wanted was relief. Maybe he should give up the password—none of his brothers were coming to save him, so why should he protect them? At least this way he could save himself from—

"No," he choked, shaking his head. "No, I won't betray them!"

From across the room, another Skakdi, this one with red armor, groaned in frustration.

"Can't we just kill him?" she asked. "He's not gonna crack. If his friends are so important to him, let's ship him back to them piece by piece."

The Ce-Skakdi turned to her and growled, "And how will we get in then? You want to charge headfirst into a Toa stronghold?"

"Yes! Don't you want to go smash something? Besides, even if we get this mysterious password, there's no way they'll actually let us through!"

"Listen to me, you—"

Suddenly feeling heavy, the Ce-Skakdi paused and whirled on the Toa, delivering a blow to his maskless face. As the pressure went away, the Ce-Skakdi shook his head and grinned.

"Getting your strength back, I see," he said. "But it'll take more than a little extra gravity to save you."

Both Skakdi extended their arms. Instantly the Toa's mind was filled with a burning sensation, as if every thought was slowly smoldering away into nothing more than ash. The searing pain drowned out everything else, leaving him with nothing but slow, endless suffering that threatened to drive him mad.

"NO!" he screamed. "NO, PLEASE! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!"

The Ce-Skakdi lowered his arms and the Toa went limp again. Angered, the Ta-Skakdi snapped, "If you let up every time he begs for mercy—"

"He will feel grateful," the Ce-Skakdi finished. "Remember that I've been at this much longer than you. Ugh, this would be so much easier if your predecessor was still here. I almost regret killing that oaf…"

The Ta-Skakdi narrowed her eyes. "Would you like to join him?"

"Let's not forget why we're here." He turned back to the Toa and grabbed his head, lifting it so that he could look into the eyes of his prisoner.

"N…no…" the Toa mumbled. "You…I can't let you enter the stronghold…you won't get your hands on those weapons!"

"So you won't help us?" the Ce-Skakdi asked. "That's all we want, Toa—just a little bit of help. With those weapons, we can free ourselves from Nektann's tyranny. Won't you help us fight for our freedom?"

The Toa looked directly into the Skakdi's eyes, his gaze filling with a resilience that should have been stripped away long ago.

"Skakdi don't fight for freedom. If you defeat Nektann, you'll just take over Zakaz yourself…and then, a few months later, some other warlord will overthrow you. I have no love for you wretched creatures, but I refuse to have your blood on my hands."

The Ce-Skakdi frowned. After staring at his captive a bit longer, he stood up and took a few steps back. Waving to his partner, he said, "Very well then. Your blood will be on her hands."

With savage glee, the Ta-Skakdi advanced towards the Toa. The hero merely closed his eyes and waited for it all to stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -This was entered into the same contest as the previous story. Though the previous story won, this one does feel a bit more personal, since it was inspired by a time when I was, um…"having an episode," and being very dramatic about it.  
> -Setting that aside, the aspect I like the most is the display of Skakdi abilities. Skakdi's Elemental Powers only work in unison, but some combinations are difficult to envision, including Psionics with just about anything. I like the answer I came up with here…though, now that I think about it, perhaps it does seem a little redundant with Hakann's powers…


	9. The Principle of the Thing

Toa Hahli walked along the shore of Aqua Magna, clutching tightly the satchel slung over her shoulder. The waves roared quietly, rising up to her ankles as they washed in, and then washing out into the endless sea without a trace. She had missed these waters.

Up ahead she could see him: a massive being clad in white and gold, clutching a warhammer in one hand. Her fins twitched. She still wasn't sure she trusted this Makuta from an alternate universe, but she had already made her decision. Now was the time to take a leap of faith.

Teridax nodded as she came closer. "Greetings, Toa. They are ready for you."

"Thank you."

Teridax directed her towards a small grove of trees a few meters from the water's edge. On the grass were six familiar-looking Rahkshi, who snapped to attention when they saw the Toa and the Makuta who made them. Hahli looked them over, suppressing a shiver, and cleared her throat. She reached into her bag and withdrew a small light blue orb that shone softly in her palm.

"Some time ago, I discovered these crystals scattered about the island I called home," she said. "In truth, we still do not know exactly what they are, or where they came from. But, they activated some sort of mechanism that we now believe was placed in the Great Spirit's body by the Great Beings. And, in light of recent events…I am not sure that the Great Beings should be allowed to reclaim them.

"Thus, I turn them over to you. You are each to take a crystal and travel to the farthest reaches of this planet, where you will build a new temple to house it and ensure that it is well-guarded. Someday, someone may come searching for these treasures, and it will be up to you to determine if they are worthy. I can think of no guardians more fitting."

She came forward, handing the crystal to Guurakh, Rahkshi of Purity.

Next was the red crystal, which she gave to Turahk, Rahkshi of Courage.

The green crystal was given to Lerahk, Rahkshi of Faith.

A tan crystal was given to Panrahk, Rahkshi of Creation.

Vorahk, Rahkshi of Prosperity, was given a dark blue crystal.

And finally, a white crystal was given to Kurahk, Rahkshi of Peace.

Then they scattered. Each Rahkshi walked off in a different direction, the crystal they had been entrusted with safely tucked under their arm. Hahli watched until they disappeared from sight, and then turned and started back the way she had come.

"Fear not," Teridax said. "Rahkshi from my world are not as easily distracted as those of this dimension. They will focus all that they are upon their mission—no one will obtain the crystals unless they have been deemed worthy."

Hahli looked over her shoulder at him. "I dearly hope so. If Velika gets his hands on them, we have no way of knowing what he will unleash."

She chuckled. "To think we'd ever feel something is safer in the hands of Rahkshi…"

Teridax came up beside her. "If the crystals do hold power, then perhaps we should consider using them rather than sending them away."

Hahli shook her head. "We've observed them for so long and have learned nothing. Better they be sealed away, so that if something terrible should befall our people, our principles will live on to be learned by whoever comes next. We have to think of what kind of legacy we'll be leaving, just in case."

"If that is what you think is best."

They departed, leaving anything else on the matter to be decided by the Rahkshi. There were far more important things that demanded their attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I've always wondered what Rahkshi were like in the Melding Universe, so this is sort of my stab at that, even if it is a little barebones. I’m delving deeper into it in another story right now, Right of Law—check that out if you’re curious!  
> -I should be upfront: I did take some liberties here. The six "classic" Rahkshi powers each have a corresponding Principle in direct opposition to it, which is where I got the idea to include the Crystals from MNOGII. But, not every opposing pair has matching colors. For instance, Purity, the Principle of Ga-Koro, is opposed by Poison, the power of Lerahk. But here, I chose to prioritize the color-coordination, so Guurahk was made the Rahkshi of Purity instead.  
> -There really isn't a whole lot to it, but it seemed fairly well-liked when I posted it, so I got ideas about what else I could do with this concept. The next three stories are related to this, but I'll explain that as I go.


	10. Towards No End

Sunlight poured into the jungle, finding its way to the orange and white Toa carefully pushing aside branches and bushes. His armor was of a strange design, and the Mask of Emulation he wore was soft and organic-looking, almost as if it were alive. Strapped to his back was a large, round, orange shield with concentric white circles along its surface.

He stepped forward into the clearing and saw a large object rising like a cliff face above him. It was covered in moss, so it was hard to identify from a distance. As he came closer, though, he could see the gleam of metal beneath it.

_Finally._

Sukahu began to scrape the moss away. He was a bit eager after spending so many weeks wandering across Bara Magna, but he quickly reminded himself that he had to be as careful as possible. Once he had cleaned an area about his height, he pushed against the metal, testing how sturdy it was. He kicked it once and sighed. Kneeling, he pointed two fingers at one corner and clenched his teeth. A thin, short beam of lightning extended from his extremities, producing heat that he could feel even from arm's length, and pierced through the metal like it was nothing. Sukahu slowly drew his arm up, then over, then down, before quickly deactivating his power and kicking the plate of metal inward.

A long hallway was visible, but its end was shrouded in complete darkness. Sukahu drew his shield as he advanced. With a mental command, the circles on the surface of the Neon Rondache lit up, allowing him to press further into the ruins. A rustling sound reached his ear—he spun around, but there was nothing.

_I suppose it was the wind…_

He continued onward. The walls were lined with ancient-looking screens and dials, most of them cracked and crumbling, some hanging on only by a few tight wires. Eventually the hall ended in a staircase, which he ascended to the highest available level. The room he came to was somewhat cramped and had a curved console on the far end.

_This has to be it._

Angling his shield towards the floor, he surveyed the room, and from the corner of one eye he saw the light reflecting off something. He turned and moved closer. Lying on the floor was a weapon. From its handle it split into two branches that curved out and then upward, and the inner tip of one branch then curved inward towards the middle of the weapon before curving out and rising into a long blade. Sukahu's jaw dropped.

_It's really here…the Sword of the Great Spirit…!_

The Toa stepped towards the Sword, when suddenly something struck him in the back and launched him into the console. He slumped onto the floor and shook his head, barely looking up in time to raise his shield against another attack.

"You have done well…but your journey has ended…"

The voice was a coarse whisper Sukahu could only just hear. He looked up at the being it belonged to: a tall warrior made completely of sand, her body molded into the shape of armor and spikes lining the edges of her head. Her face was completely smooth save for two glowing orange eyes. Clouds of sand circulated around her body, waiting at her command to resume their assault.

"Who are you?" Sukahu asked.

"I am one of those chosen by the Great Beings to embody the Elements. Eons ago, I led the tribe of Sand in the Core War, only to be thwarted at every turn by not only my brothers, but the very planet itself."

Sukahu thought back to the old legends. "…You are an Element Lord?"

"I am the Lord of Sand. Now that you have unsealed this place, I have come to claim the Sword of the Great Spirit for my own."

Sukahu got to his feet, being sure to keep his shield forward. "Ah. You want its power. Do the Element Lords struggle still to this day?"

The Sand Lord stood as still as a statue as she watched. "On and on, throughout the years, until the end of time if a victor cannot be named. The forces of nature are ever at war. None can ever overtake the others, if left with their own ability."

"And you think the Sword will allow you to upset that balance?"

"You must also know the legends. Rumors that this Sword is imbued with the power of Life. With such a power, the Vorox could be transformed into the ultimate army, and we could lay waste to the other Element Lords. Our long war would finally, finally, be over."

"And then what?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all…finally, a long, eternal rest at the end of the endless struggle."

Sukahu paused. "I can't let you take that Sword."

The sands around the Lord began to swirl faster. "I do not expect you to let me. I know not why you crave the power of Life, but it is of no concern. I will not miss the opportunity to finally end this."

The Sand Lord slowly raised one hand. Before she could react, Sukahu's Kanohi flashed, and the sand suddenly compressed around its master, forming into bindings that dragged her back towards the stairwell. Sukahu lunged towards the Sword and scooped it up. The Sand Lord reasserted her control and sent the sand towards the Toa, but Sukahu activated his mask again, bringing the sand to a halt. He could feel the will of the Sand Lord fighting against his own, but he held firm—he had finally found the cure he had wanted so long, and his willpower had never been stronger.

The stalemate dragged on for what felt like hours, Sukahu clutching the Sword and his shield while he and the Lord of Sand stared each other down, an army of confused sand particles hovering in the space between them ready to kill one commander as soon as the other wavered. When the silence was finally broken, Sukahu was too focused to understand the question posed to him, so the Sand Lord repeated it.

"Why do you not simply end it?"

"I'm trying to."

"I saw you enter this place. Your powers could destroy me, and yet you instead turn my own against me."

"…Toa don't kill unless there's no choice."

"I am not giving you a choice. You must kill me, or I will kill you. Do you not value your life? Do you not value the Sword, or what you intend to do with it?"

Sukahu grunted. "I have important plans for this Sword, don't you worry. But I…it's none of your business why I'm not using my powers."

The Sand Lord stared at him. Suddenly, she relinquished his hold on the sand, and it turned back upon her, punching a hole in the side of her torso. Sukahu stumbled back in surprise.

"Was it the distraction? Now you have been freed from it. Take this opportunity to kill me, or I will kill you, and you will never get the chance to use the Sword."

Sukahu looked at the Sword. He started to raise his hand, but then he shook his head.

"Your plans must not be that important after all."

"Shut up! You have no idea what my plans are!"

"True. But you have made me curious. What reason is so important, yet not important enough to use your power for?"

Sukahu glared at the Sand Lord for a long time. He then grabbed the Sword with both hands, locked his eyes on it, and shouted, "Sword of the Great Spirit! Unleash your energies now—grant me what I desire!"

He closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he opened them. He felt no different at all.

"…What? Activate!"

Nothing happened. He tried channeling his thoughts into it like a Toa Tool, and yet still, nothing happened. It felt like a simple tool—empty, possessing no powers whatsoever.

"No…no, this can't be…"

He dropped the blade and fell to his knees. "The legends were wrong? It…doesn't have the power of Life?"

The Sand Lord shouted. Her sand wrapped around the Sword and carried it towards her, and after holding it in her hands a moment, she threw it against the wall.

Sukahu looked at his hand, features twisted with rage. "So what, then? I'm stuck with this curse forever? There's no way for any of us to become normal?! No way for me to escape this wretched destructiveness?!"

He punched the floor, screaming. The Sand Lord watched him, still silent, her sand now lying in a motionless heap.

"…Are you going to kill me now?" Sukahu asked.

"Killing you would not end my struggle…but, would it end yours?"

Sukahu looked up into the Sand Lord's eerie eyes.

Eventually, he stood up.

"I need to return to New Atero," he muttered. "If I don't go back, then another Toa might come out here…it's better they know now that this won't work."

The Sand Lord turned and left. Sukahu walked over to the Sword and, reluctantly, picked it up. Then he too made his way back outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Like I said, this is connected to The Principle of the Thing, but it probably isn't immediately apparent how.  
> -My idea was to write a story set long after the Reformation that would come to involve the Crystals and the Melding Rahkshi who guarded them. This story and the next two were meant to flesh out a trio of Toa who would take center stage in that story. The end result never came about, though. I'll share more details later.  
> -Also, did you know that the Sand-Lord is female? I didn't until recently. Neat.  
> -But anyway. Here I tried to make a story where the exposition was more implicit, and that carries over into the next two as well. If it wasn't clear, Sukahu is a Toa Inika of Plasma. Since this is about 100,000 years after the Reformation, I thought it might make sense if all Toa now were the product of the Red Star's "Toa beam", (probably as a result of Marendar wiping out all former Toa—I was really into that possibility at the time) and, well…most of them are probably not happy about it. Your Element gets laced with Lightning, which is going to impose some extra limitations, and you get this wonky organic armor and living masks to make it even less pleasant. Of course, Sukahu would hate what he is even without being an Inika: Plasma is a purely destructive Element, after all. He went looking for Mata Nui's sword to try to change himself into a regular Toa with a different Element, and so that all the Toa Inika running around could stop being Inika as well. But their problem isn't going to go away so easily.


	11. Malleable

The Bone Hunter surveyed the desert from his Rock Steed. Aside from a few Zesk burrowing under a dune nearby, the sands were still.

It was some time before they appeared. Two more Rock Steeds came running out towards him, each carrying another Hunter and one sporting a second passenger. The Bone Hunter dismounted and stepped forward as they pulled up before him.

"You're sure you weren't followed?" asked one of the others.

"What do you think?" he retorted. "Hand over the prisoner already."

The jailer pushed his passenger off onto the sand. She was a Turaga with organic green armor, bound in vines and with a sack drawn over her head. Landing beside her, the jailer pulled her to her feet and prepared to trade her off.

That was when the second jailer jumped between them. "Wait."

The Hunter growled. "What now?"

"You were given a pass phrase. We have to be sure this isn't a trick."

"Waste of my time," the Hunter muttered, shaking his head.

The second jailer drew his sword. "Out with it. If you don't know it—"

The Hunter drew his Thornax launcher. The first jailer ducked, pulling the prisoner back with him, while the second leapt forward and slashed through the Hunter's midsection. He disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving his attacker very confused when a blade pierced his back. Electrical energy filled his body, and after a few long seconds, he felt nothing.

The other jailer looked at the Toa of Iron who had appeared, her orange and gunmetal armor the same fleshy substance as his Turaga prisoner. From behind her gunmetal Mahiki, her cold eyes stared out at him, as if their vibrant green blaze was about to consume him. He shakily held his sword against the Turaga's neck for a few more seconds before hopping back onto his Rock Steed.

As he sped off, the Toa sliced one finger through the vines holding the Turaga and removed the sack from her head. Brilliant light obscured her face. The Toa produced an organic green Noble Huna and placed it on the Turaga, who began to stir. She then stood tall, aimed her Lightstone Rifle at the fleeing Hunter, and fired.

"Ugh," the Turaga moaned as she sat up. "Dreynarn? Is that you?"

Dreynarn nodded. She held one hand out, using her power to drag the stunned Hunter across the sands by his armor. "How is your health, Turaga Leum?"

The Turaga got to her feet. "I'm alright. A bit sore, but I can pull myself together before we get back to…"

She trailed off as her eyes caught the corpse.

"You didn't need to kill him."

The other Hunter was in Dreynarn's hand now. She shook her head and replied, "I did."

Her captive blinked. He struggled, but Dreynarn held him steady.

"Why did you kidnap the Turaga?"

"I…I don't know!"

Dreynarn stored her Rifle on her back and punched the Hunter in the stomach. "I do not believe you."

Leum pulled at her arm. "Dreynarn!"

The Hunter coughed. "Th-The Skrall wanted her. I don't know why—honest! We didn't ask a lot of questions, we were just looking to get paid!"

Dreynarn turned to Leum. "Hm…the Skrall have been displeased with you since the mine negotiations."

Looking back to the Hunter, she focused her Elemental Power upon him, willing his armor to compress and bend, slowly crushing him to death.

"Dreynarn!" Leum shouted. "Stop this!"

The Toa dropped the Hunter, who was already dead. "They may have alerted others. It would have been unwise to allow him to escape."

She mounted her Rock Steed and waited for Leum to join her. Eventually, the Turaga sighed and climbed aboard, and they were off across the sand.

Dunes blurred past them. Keeping her eyes forward, Dreynarn asked, "You have objections, Turaga?"

Leum grunted. "Don't misunderstand, I'm thankful for the rescue. But…I still don't think you needed to kill them."

"I explained my reasons."

"Yes, and they're perfectly logical. But you're a Toa."

"Indeed I am. What relevance does that have?"

Leum looked up, watching the sparse clouds over them. "I'm old, Dreynarn. I can remember when Toa still had a Code—when they thought being a hero meant adhering to certain principals in all but the most dire of times. I guess I'm just nostalgic."

"The Code was abandoned for a reason, Turaga. This world is very different. We had no choice but to adapt."

"I know, but it's difficult to forget what we were created to be."

"That does not matter. We have long outlived the purpose our creators gave us. Now, we must become something else in order to survive."

Leum closed her eyes and leaned forward, resting her head against Dreynarn's back. "Yes, yes, but I'm still allowed to feel bothered by it."

"Very well, Turaga."

"So it doesn't bother  _you_?"

Dreynarn paused. "…I am who I must be. Nothing can change that."

Leum thought a while. "I see," was all she could say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Since Toa are frequently portrayed as having traits linked to their Elements, I've long thought Toa of Iron would be heavily influenced by their environment. Metal heating or cooling easily, or being bent and shaped into entirely new forms over time. So on the surface, Dreynarn adapted quite well to the world around her, becoming ruthlessly efficient and always getting the job done. But the truth is, she hates the person she's become.  
> -This story also proposes the "Turaga Inika". I wasn't sure if the oddities of an Inika would leave when their Toa Energy did, but that would be rather boring, so I decided to make it a permanent mutation. Well, perhaps the tiny bits of Elemental Power they can conjure up would be Lightning-free? I'm not sure I thought that far ahead.  
> -Oh, that's right. By this point, Matoran tribes are no longer gender locked, hence why we've got a female Toa of Iron and Turaga of Air. I just wanted to be free of that restriction.


	12. Pillar and Pedestal

Phoeba walked down the hall, her stride purposeful but not rushed. Around the bend came another Toa: his armor was the same organic substance as hers, but orange where hers was blue, and he wore a Mask of Emulation. He was empty-handed and focused on the floor—not unusual for him.

"Morning, Sukahu," she called out.

His eyes rolled towards her. "Morning."

They slowed as they reached each other, Phoeba delicately saying, "Welcome back…I guess you didn't find it?"

Sukahu chuckled. "Oh, I found it. But it didn't do anything. I just gave it to the Turaga, if you want to see for yourself."

"I'm sorry."

"Sure you are," he mumbled. At regular volume he added, "I don't want to hold you up. Good luck with whatever it is she wants you to do."

After Sukahu passed her, Phoeba looked after him for a moment before continuing forward. She rounded the corner he had come from and walked through the open doors, coming to a sunlit chamber filled with empty benches facing an elevated desk. A Turaga of Air with organic armor and a Huna stood behind it, apparently lost in thought as she examined the strange sword in her hand.

Phoeba cleared her throat. The Turaga gasped, reaching for the cane on the desk and partially drawing the blade hidden in it. When she saw the Toa, she sighed, and then sheathed the weapon so she could support herself as she hobbled forward.

"You mustn't startle me, Phoeba. My old heart can't take many more surprises."

"My apologies, Turaga Leum."

She eyed the odd weapon the Turaga held. From its handle it split into two branches that curved out and then upward, and the inner tip of one branch then curved inward towards the middle of the weapon before curving out and rising into a long blade.

"I saw Sukahu, so I assume that's what he went looking for?"

Leum nodded. "The Sword of the Great Spirit, said to grant its bearer the power of Life."

She tapped the flat of the blade against the nearest chair a few times. "Seems not all legends are true."

"How do you think he's taking it?"

"He came back. That's more than I expected. But, the reason I've asked you here is because someone else has not."

Phoeba held out her hand, helping the Turaga balance as she took a seat. The Toa sat on the opposite side of the center aisle. Leum leaned her cane against the chair in front of hers, set the 'legendary' artifact across her lap, and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Phoeba waited patiently.

"Do you remember Cordag?" Leum finally asked.

Phoeba thought a moment. "She was…involved in the defense of the White Quartz oasis, I believe? She was the one who tried to save the third squad's leader from the Zyglak."

"That's right. The other day, I sent her and some others to salvage the caravan that we lost near Old Atero just before those Bone Hunters inconvenienced me. Her teammates returned last night: apparently, a wounded Skrall was there, and Cordag tried to help him. He didn't make it."

Phoeba nodded. Leum continued to pause, so she gently asked, "And Cordag?"

Leum rubbed the guard of the sword she held. "They say she snapped. Tried calming her down, but once she started threatening a Nova Blast, they had to pull out."

Looking up at Phoeba, she added, "So, I won't order you to go if you don't want to."

Phoeba stood automatically. She didn't want to take into account whether she wanted to or not. "Old Atero? That's a few days by sand stalker. Do you really think she has that much time?"

"Dreynarn can take you on her rock steed if you're worried about time."

"Oh, Dreynarn's back?"

"You know she likes to work quickly."

After mulling it over a minute, Phoeba nodded. "It sounds like we should be as quick as possible. I'll contact Dreynarn and we'll get going, but please send someone with a sand stalker behind us—rock steeds can't carry much supplies, certainly not enough for three people."

"I'll find someone right away," Leum said. "I wish you luck, Phoeba."

The Toa bowed and left the chamber. She started to sigh, but upon seeing some Matoran entering the building, she cut herself off and smiled.

***

Phoeba dismounted the rock steed, stooping to examine the tracks in the sand. The Toa of Iron who remained on the creature's back said, "I could easily immobilize her. We may have to render her unconscious briefly when I run out of energy, but the sand stalker will certainly bring a Mask of Elemental Energy that can last us the rest of the trip."

"Thank you, Dreynarn, but I'd prefer we didn't handle things that way. Please stay here."

Dreynarn vacated the saddle and gestured to her rock steed, letting it know it could lie down to rest for the time being. Phoeba advanced towards the stone ridge a few dozen paces away. As she drew closer, she could see the river that flowed on the other side, and a Toa of Water with a wide scar on her shoulder rocking back and forth as she sat at its edge.

Phoeba slowed her pace, feeling something in her stomach tighten. "Cordag?"

The Ga-Toa's head whirled around. Her organic Volitak had part of its edge eaten away, allowing green light to spill out from behind it. She glared at Phoeba and barked a cold laugh.

"What an honor!" she said, turning back to the river. "The great Phoeba herself is sent to retrieve me. How do you plan to heal me, wise one? I'm so very interested to see your process."

Phoeba felt her neck muscles tighten. She advanced to the river's edge, being sure to leave space between her and Cordag, and kept looking forward. "I'm glad to see you alive."

Cordag ground her teeth. "The Skrall wasn't so lucky."

"How many times have you had to watch someone die?"

"Ha, like anyone could keep track of that. You'd think I'd be used to it!"

"Is this the first time you tried to save someone?"

"What does it matter?"

Phoeba didn't respond. Cordag leaned her head forward, rubbing her neck, and said, "…Fine, yeah, it's the first time I tried saving someone. I mean, treating wounds and that sort of thing. I've done the standard jumping in during a fight thing a few times, not that that always worked—you were there for one of those."

She pointed briefly to the rotten edge of her mask before running her fingers through the sand.

"I remember," Phoeba said. "Not many Toa are brave enough to tackle a Zyglak head-on like that. I was impressed."

Cordag laughed. "Spare me."

Phoeba waited a moment. "So you hate seeing people die?"

Clenching her fists, Cordag said, "People die, Phoeba. It's just that there are some times I should be able to do something about it, and I can't."

Phoeba steeled herself. Turning to face Cordag, she asked, "And why does that bother you so much?"

Cordag glared at her. "What?"

"No one can do everything, Cordag. I'm sure you did all you could, but failure—"

"Shut up!" The other Toa was on her feet now. "You don't understand what it's like for the rest of us! You've always been a Lightning type, but I was supposed to be Water!"

She aimed a water jet at the stone ridge. It was laced with electricity, and blasted a small hole in the rock's surface.

"Water is supposed to be life. It's supposed to be soothing, and welcoming—Toa used to be able to use it to heal people! But if I tried doing that, I'd only kill them!"

She prepared another blast, but then she saw a few lizards scurry out of the cave and stopped short. Grabbing her mask, she grunted in frustration; Phoeba slowly started to edge towards her, ready to move in at a moment's notice.

"If it weren't for the stupid Red Star, I could've saved that Skrall! I could save people, but now I'm…some monster!"

"You're not a monster," Phoeba said calmly.

Cordag threw a punch. Phoeba caught it, grabbing her fist and not letting go. "What does it matter to you?! You didn't have everything about you rewritten!"

She punched Phoeba in the shoulder with her free hand. "You didn't have to give up your dreams! You weren't handed the power of death when you were expecting life!"

"You're right," Phoeba said. "But a lot of others know what it's like."

Cordag slumped. "Right. I'm no different than them, so why should I—"

"That's not what I mean. A lot of others go through this, and most of them just resign themselves to it. But you're still trying to save people. It might not always work, but you keep trying, even though it's much more difficult than you had hoped it would be."

She smiled her most genuine smile. "You really are brave, Cordag."

The Toa of Water stared at her for a minute. Then, she started to sob, gradually falling forward to lean against Phoeba. Phoeba embraced her, placing her hand carefully to not hit her scar.

"You must be exhausted, being out here so long. Let's head back to New Atero, okay? Turaga Leum will be very happy to see you again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -A Toa Inika of Lightning is really redundant, save for the organic armor thing. Phoeba doesn't really take issue with the new norm of Toa, so she seems a lot more stable than most and people really look up to her. She always does her best to support them, but it really puts quite a deal of pressure on her having to keep up appearances for everyone else's sake day in and day out.  
> -With Sukahu, Leum, and Dreynarn all making reappearances, things almost seemed like they were coming together in this one! Cordag probably wouldn't have appeared much after this, though I did enjoy the chance to wonder what would happen when the Zyglak's plague meets organic armor.  
> -Right, so you're probably wondering: what does a Spherus Magna full of depressed Toa Inika have to do with the Crystals? Well, next on my agenda was a longer story where a crisis arose, and Phoeba, Sukahu, and Dreynarn had to go out in search of the Crystals in order to defeat a villain who feeds on negativity. The idea was that the only way for this broken world to move on was to rediscover the Principles, something they could believe in, and use them to confront an avatar of all their pain. But I don't expect that to get written any time soon.


	13. The Retelling

We struggled long, cried out for help,  
We begged them to arrive.  
At last they came—they came—they came!  
We knew we would survive.

Then came Tahu, wreathed in flame,  
Bringing heat and light.  
Then came Lewa, quick and kind,  
Laughing in his flight.  
Then came Gali from the sea,  
Whose wisdom we much needed.  
Then came Onua, yes, we knew  
Our hopes were then exceeded.  
Then Kopaka, who though aloof,  
Does lend his mighty power.  
Then Pohatu, that mighty hero,  
A friend to never cower.

These strangers were for what we yearned,  
Our hope fulfilled at last.  
They kept us safe, they made us strong.  
Makuta's threat did pass.

**That is just a fantasy.**

We struggled long, cried out for help,  
We begged them to arrive.  
At last they came—they came—they came!  
But oh…things took a dive.

Then came Hakann with his gun,  
Setting minds—and matter alike—ablaze.  
Then came Avak, a curious inventor  
Who could, if he wanted, instantly trap us inside of a maze.  
And Zaktan—oh, Zaktan, how terrifying Zaktan was.  
The revulsion—the—I can't explain, such revulsion at that…buzz.  
Vezok, I hear, is no longer whole,  
But that does not quite excuse his animalistic temper.  
Thok, then.  
Things came to a haunting semblance of life wherever he went.  
And Reidak, that foul-tempered brute,  
Would take any attack and shrug it off without so much as a dent.

These strangers, no, they were not heroes.  
Desperate, we fell for their obvious tricks.  
These strangers might've saved us—but no, instead,  
They brought Makuta here. For kicks.

**That is what is real to me.**

You may hope that this ends here,  
To see this dark thread chopped,  
But I tell you friend, oh listen now:  
It's not about to stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -What's this? A poem?! Well, I was in college taking literature classes at the time, so…these things happen.  
> -Island of Doom is one of my favorite Bionicle books, because it can be seen as a deconstruction of the basic 2001 story. An island is in trouble, so powerful strangers calling themselves Toa show up, promising to help the villagers overcame the threats that plague them. One goes well, the other does not.  
> -Since 01 is the more idealistic take, that portion of the poem rhymes and has better meter—it's trying to evoke a classical form that resonates with the reader. Meanwhile 06 is a more cynical take, so those lines look like they're sort of attempting to impersonate the style of the first part, with the obvious and total failure to do so evoking a very jarring sensation. Well…that was the intent, at least.


	14. The Yesterday Jest

The Fan sat in the conference room, waiting eagerly for their host to arrive. When at last the door opened, they practically jumped to their feet, stumbling forward to greet Mr. Lego.

"Good morning," Mr. Lego greeted. "Apologies for the delay, but we needed to make a few last-minute adjustments."

"That's quite alright," the Fan said. "Thank you so much for inviting me here! I was thrilled to hear that you'll be continuing Bionicle through web serials, and it's a privilege to get a sneak peek at what'll be going on!"

Mr. Lego frowned. "Yes, it's really quite unfortunate that we had to end the line. Still, for some time now we've been losing old fans faster than we can get new ones, so wrapping up production was really the only sound business decision."

"I understand. There's no way anyone could blame you for making totally logical decisions like that."

Each gave a dull look into the camera.

"Well, have a seat and we'll get started!"

Sitting back down, the Fan watched as Mr. Lego went to stand next to the door. "Now," he said, "we plan to have a few serials as time goes on, but one of the first we will be rolling out will be…The Yesterday Quest!"

The Fan nodded. "I see! That name…doesn't make much sense, but I suppose it sounds cool."

"This is why we held that poll. The top three Elements fans want to see Toa for have been chosen, and here's the team who will be going on this quest!"

As a Toa walked in, Mr. Lego gestured with one arm and said, "Zaria, Toa of Iron! He's one of the few beings in the universe who has killed a Makuta, but the experience haunts him and makes him a troubled outcast type character. People tend to avoid him—he's so lonely, cursed with this awesome power and filled with pain that no one can understand. Our target audience eats up stuff like this!"

The Fan craned their neck. "What's with his armor? All those sharp edges…his shadow looks like a hedgehog."

Mr. Lego turned to look. "Uh, I suppose so. But, we compiled all of our data on what kids think is 'cool' to get this look, so I'm sure it'll turn out well."

Scratching their head, the Fan watched as Zaria stepped aside and another Toa entered.

"Moving on, we have Chiara, Toa of Lightning! Since we've received a lot of criticism on having such little diversity in the personality of our female characters, she will be hotheaded and irritable, and we'll get a quick display of how unlike other female Toa she is when we show her casually kill a defenseless animal."

"What?" the Fan remarked. "But, isn't that against the Toa Code? I mean, it sounds like she's crossing the line from irritable into unnecessarily cruel."

"But…she's different! And did I mention she's the ever-loved 'lone wolf' type? Her appeal is limitless!"

The Fan hummed, unsure, as Chiara cleared the way for the third Toa.

"Lastly, Orde, Toa of Psionics! He—"

"Wait, he?" interrupted the Fan. "But you already established that Toa of Psionics are female."

"Yes, well, Orde was the first Toa of Psionics created. After he messed up his first mission for being too aggressive, the Great Beings decided every other Toa of Psionics should be female."

"…What? That doesn't make any sense at all! That's not a good enough reason for making a male Toa of a female Element."

Mr. Lego shrugged. "Well, these were the Elements fans voted on. Either the Psionics or Lightning Toa needed to be made male—we can't have more than one female per team."

The Fan blinked.

Mr. Lego drew out a book labelled "The Laws of Bonkle-Making". Opening it, he read, "Since this theme is directed at boys, who obviously hate girls, we can't overdo the number of female characters and must only have one per team. Exceptions can be made for pairs of Water types but don't show these too often and be sure to off-set it with plenty of male-only pairs trying to fulfill the same purpose."

"…Didn't you think that maybe the fans voted for Psionics and Lightning because they wanted to see more female characters?"

Mr. Lego stared a moment, and then turned back to the book. "It's a rule, though."

The Fan sighed.

Setting the book down, Mr. Lego asked, "Well, what do you think? Excited for The Yesterday Quest yet?"

The Fan looked from Zaria, to Chiara, to Orde, to the floor. After thinking for a moment, they stood and shook their head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lego. I wanted to like this, really I did, but you've made it pretty difficult."

"What?!" Mr. Lego exclaimed. "But…it's totally cool!"

"You somehow combined trying too hard with not trying enough. I just don't think this is going to work out."

Mr. Lego looked to the Toa, and then sighed. "…Perhaps you are right."

He pulled out his phone. "Director, please cancel The Yesterday Quest. No, it's no good, even telling them about the Great Being disguised as an inhabitant of the Matoran Universe won't be enough to salvage this mess."

The Fan's eyes widened. "Wait, what did you say?!"

Mr. Lego pointed to the Toa. "Alright, you heard them. Your contracts are voided."

As the Toa walked out, the Fan said, "Wait, wait, maybe we can still save this! Come on, Mr. Lego, let's talk!"

Mr. Lego left, and the lights in the conference room went out.

"Oh well…maybe Hero Factory will have some interesting plot points."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Now, please don't take this too seriously. I was thrilled Lego was trying to keep the Bionicle story going, and I enjoyed The Yesterday Quest and wanted to see where it would go. Heck, the complaints about Zaria and Chiara are really just things I've come across in hindsight. (And no, they never specified Zaria's appearance, that line's just there for the jokes.)  
> -However, one problem I had from the beginning was Orde. We finally had a chance to try to improve that horrible gender ratio, and whoever was in charge decided, "You know what? Let's not do that." What a waste.  
> -Also, please don't think that I hate Hero Factory. It was enjoyable enough…but the joke holds up, since its story never did become one of its strong suits. Let's be real here.


	15. Toa of Fire

Tahu, Master of Fire, walked slowly down the darkened streets of Lego City, eyes fixed on the studded baseboard beneath his feet.  He was vaguely aware of others walking past him—they didn’t disturb him, but he heard their whispers, and they did nothing to improve his mood.  He soon stopped in his tracks and looked up.  A large building stood just across the street, its neon sign flashing the name “CANCELLATION COVE”.

_…I guess I can’t put it off any longer._

Crossing, Tahu entered the establishment and glanced around.  Characters from all sorts of themes filled the tables, some laughing, some shouting, and some fixing a sullen gaze on whatever beverage they held.  On the far side of the bar he spotted the person he was looking for.  Taking a deep breath, he rounded the counter and prepared for the worst.

Tahu, Master of Fire, reached out to tap him on the shoulder.  “Hello, brother.”

Tahu, Toa Mata of Fire, turned in his seat.  “…Brother?”

For a moment, they stared at each other.  Then, Tahu Mata clapped one hand onto Master Tahu’s arm, smiled, and said, “Where have you been?  They said you and the others moved here months ago—I was starting to get the feeling you were avoiding me!”

Master Tahu blinked.

“Hey, Furno!” Tahu Mata said, elbowing the person next to him.  “Look at this: my brother’s finally turned up!  Brother, you’ve heard of Furno, right?”

The Hero waved.  “Pleasure to finally meet ya!  Sorry to hear about the cancellation—I’ve been there.”

“Um, thank you,” Master Tahu mumbled.

“Hey, isn’t Torch here?” Tahu Mata asked.

Furno rubbed his chin.  “Mmm, I thought I saw him come in, but I didn’t see his face so—“

“Check the pool table, he’s probably there.”  As Furno got to his feet, Tahu Mata turned back to Master Tahu and said, “You have to meet this guy, Torch!  I don’t know _what_ Lego was thinking when they designed him, but…are you alright?”

Master Tahu just stood there, desperately grasping for an answer.  “…I…you…aren’t you disappointed?”

Tahu Mata cocked his head.  “Huh?  Of course not.  He might look weird, but Torch is a great guy, trust me.  I’m happy to be related to him.”

“No, I mean disappointed in me!”

“…What?”

Master Tahu shook his head.  “Bionicle G2 was cancelled.  It was cut short after just two years.  I…I failed.”

Tahu Mata stared at him for a moment.  Then, with a smile, he said, “Don’t be so hard on yourself, brother.”

A wave of confusion pushed through Master Tahu, but before he could say anything more, Furno returned with someone new in tow.  Judging by his black and red color scheme he could guess this was Torch, and it was easy to see what his brother had meant.  The character had a massively exaggerated hunchback design—his arms were at a reasonable height, but his head sat at about the level of his legs.  Master Tahu’s confusion only grew.

“Torch, there you are!” Tahu Mata said.  “This is my brother.  Say hello!”

Torch stepped forward, and Master Tahu had to look almost straight down just to make eye contact.  “Oh, so you’re Tahu Jr?  Your brother’s told me a lot about you.  I’m Torch, the Fire Slizer.”

He offered a handshake, but Tahu Mata caught his arm and pulled it back.  “Hey, other hand!”

The hand offered had jets of flame for fingers.  Realizing his mistake, Torch switched for his other, less hazardous hand, and said, “Sorry about that.  I always forget.”

“How do you forget that your hand is constantly on fire?” Furno asked as he sat back down.

Torch simply rolled his eyes as he shook hands with Master Tahu.  Tahu Mata motioned for them both to sit, and they complied, though Torch’s head became obscured by the counter.

“Look at this: the oldest Fire constraction character and the newest, side-by-side,” Tahu Mata said.  “We’ve come far since the age of Slizers.  Throwbots?  Whatever it was.”

Torch grunted.  “Sonny, if it wasn’t for us, I guarantee you wouldn’t be swinging that fancy fire sword around.”

“Lighten up, old-timer,” Furno said.  “You know we all have the _utmost_ respect for you.  Tell us again how your planet soldiered on after being only half destroyed by a meteor.”

Holding up a finger, Tahu Mata corrected, “It was _three-sevenths_ destroyed, actually!  And precisely along the Sector borders, too.  It was a very detail-oriented meteor.”

“Can you believe this?” Torch asked, tapping the back of his hand against Master Tahu.  “Ugh…well, I will admit you look good, kid.  That’s that CCBS thing, right?  And I see they gave you a backpack to fix that gaping hole Furno had.”

Furno shrugged.  “Eh, that’s not something I can deny.”

Master Tahu looked between the three of them in succession, totally bewildered.  They waited for him to say something, but soon the silence grew awkward, so Tahu Mata gently set a hand on his shoulder.

“Brother,” he said.

“…I don’t understand,” Master Tahu said, closing his eyes.  “You must be disappointed—you have to be.  How could you not?  I was supposed to follow in your footsteps, and I failed miserably.  Why are you acting like nothing’s wrong?”

“Because nothing _is_ wrong, and I’m _not_ disappointed.”

Master Tahu glared up at his brother.  “But _everyone’s_ disappointed in me!  I didn’t have the depth that you did.  I didn’t provide as much content as you did.  I didn’t flesh out my world, or even give names to huge swaths of my cast—I was supposed to renew your legacy and inspire the imagination of a new generation, _and I_ _failed_!  I…I’m not fit to be called your brother.”

The silence returned, feeling denser than before.  Nobody even moved as they allowed Master Tahu’s words to settle over them.

Torch was the one to finally break it: “Poppycock.”

Leaning a little, Tahu Mata said, “Language.  Thank you, I’ll handle this.”  He turned back to Master Tahu.  “He’s right, though, that’s ridiculous.  Your name is Tahu.  You’re the Toa of Fire.  Of course you’re my brother!  That’s not dependent on how long your theme lasts, or how much content you packed into that time.”

Master Tahu just slumped against the counter.

“…I’m sorry, brother.  You are being far too hard on yourself, and a big part of it is my fault.”

“You always did cast quite the shadow,” Furno agreed.  “Not many of us can compare to the monolith that was Bionicle G1, and I’m not just talking about the sun-obscuring mound you get when you stack all your varied media in one pile.”

“That’s right,” Tahu Mata said.  “Slizers only lasted two years, and its content was even sparser.  Most people don’t even remember the other ones, like RoboRiders.  And, while we all swore to try, we still can’t forget…”

The four of them glanced over their shoulders at a table in the far corner of the room.  A human boy with a blue shirt and a mechanical arm sat there, going on about something while a frog man holding a staff nodded politely.  They all quickly looked away.

Tahu Mata set a hand on his brother’s back.  “You’re taking the cancellation hard—I’m sure you aren’t really interested in feeling better right now.  But we’re here for you.  And when you are ready, we’ll still be here.  Right guys?”

Furno raised his glass.  “Sure, I got nowhere to be!  And I hate to see a fellow hero so down in the dumps.”

“I’m here for you too, youngster,” Torch said.  “Cancelled themes stick together!”

Silently, Master Tahu looked from one to the other.  He still felt a terrible, overwhelming sense of failure.  Yet, for the first time since the cancellation, he wondered if one day he might no longer feel that way.

“Why don’t we play some darts?” Tahu Mata suggested.

“I think the Alpha Team has claimed that for the night,” Torch said.  When Furno craned his neck, Torch added, “No, not _your_ Alpha Team.”

Tahu Mata hummed.  “Oh, actually, you haven’t ordered yet, have you brother?  Get whatever you want—my treat.”

He slid a menu over to Master Tahu, who glanced over it half-heartedly.  The Master of Fire remained silent for a while, but then, quietly, he said, “Thank you…brother.”

Tahu Mata nodded.  “My pleasure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Since this is about G1 and G2, and the last two stories are going to be G2 stories, this seemed like the best way to transition between the two eras.  
> -This is actually the most recent of the bunch, and came about as the result of the story I’ll be posting last. There was a contest to write about something you’d like to have seen in G2 if it had gone on, and I was thrilled to see all the entries—it seemed like so much talk about G2 from the moment it was announced was negative as heck, so seeing that outpouring of love for it was a beautiful change of pace. So, I decided to write another story that’s more or less about “comforting” G2 and letting it know that, while it may not have been perfect, it’s still Bionicle. And it is loved.


	16. An End Escaped

"…and when he donned the Mask of Control, Makuta's spirit took hold of the Hunter, twisting him beyond recognition."

The gathered villagers shuddered as Nilkuu continued his tale. The fire flickered as they pulled closer to each other, a few glancing over their shoulder to survey the darkened landscape expectantly. One, however, simply rolled his eyes.

The Protector of Stone leaned forward over the flames, his masked face gleaming eerily. "No longer was Umarak known as the Hunter we have long told fables of. Now, corrupted by the evil of Makuta, he would forevermore be known as Umarak…the Destroyer." He made a slow, sweeping gesture with one hand. "Where the Destroyer walked, only death followed. Animals fell at his hand. Plants withered into nothing. The ground itself began to rot. Okoto was slowly being reduced to a wasteland."

One of the villagers leaned back with a chuckle. Nilkuu eyed him a moment, then cleared his throat and continued.

"Our brave heroes the Toa, horrified by the destruction, sought out the Destroyer and engaged him in battle. One by one…they were defeated."

The villagers gasped.

"All seemed lost. Yet the Toa refused to give up. As Umarak loomed over Tahu, his claw poised to strike, Kopaka leapt forward, striking when the fiend's guard was down and saving his brother. It was then the Toa remembered the object of their journey: Unity. And it was that Unity, they realized, that would save them now. New strength filled the Toa, and they attacked Umarak as one. With their combined might and wits, they drove the Destroyer back—he retaliated with one final assault, but it was for naught. Combining their powers in one tremendous blast, the Toa totally obliterated the Destroyer!"

The villagers cheered, except for one who seemed to be falling asleep.

"The day had been won. The weary Toa returned to their villages for a well-deserved rest, but fear not: even now they stand ready to fight for our island, no matter what evil may come to threaten us."

One villager stood up from the cheering mass, stretching and yawning before sitting back down.

"Remember this tale, my people. We must never forget our Unity, even in the darkest moment. This is the way of the Bionicle."

The crowd slowly began to disperse. When one villager in particular grabbed his staff and started to leave, the Protector called, "A moment, Ahkmou."

The villager sighed loudly. He did not turn to face Nilkuu as he approached, nor did he look the Protector in the eye when he finally stood before him. Nilkuu gestured for him to sit. He remained standing.

"Ahkmou, you did not seem very interested in my story."

"Forgive me, Protector," Ahkmou mumbled. "I simply can't see the point in telling a prolonged tale about the Toa saving us when we already know that they saved us."

"There is more to a tale than its end, Ahkmou. It is important that we remember what happened along the Toa's journey. It is more than just a reminder of what we survived: telling the tale of the Toa's Unity helps us remember to cherish our own. Working together, they were able to defeat an ancient evil strengthened by the machinations of Makuta! So then, perhaps  _we_  can also achieve great things if  _we_ work together."

To Nilkuu's surprise, Ahkmou's response was to laugh. The villager leaned against his staff as he replied, "A journey is worth nothing after its end, Protector. At that point, it ceases to exist. That end is all that really needs to be remembered going forward…at least, until the next tale reaches its end. Then that, too, will have no further meaning."

Nilkuu shook his head. "How can you think that way, Ahkmou? Who led you to think only of endings?"

Grinning proudly, Ahkmou said, "Why Protector, you were the one who taught us about Destiny. And are not all things destined to end?"

They were both silent for a time. Eventually, Nilkuu said, "If that is what you think Destiny means, than I have failed to guide you."

Ahkmou shrugged. "If that will be all, I think I shall take my leave. Good night, Protector."

Nilkuu did nothing to stop Ahkmou this time.

***

Ahkmou slid down a dirt-covered slope as he made his way across the Region of Stone, steadying himself with his staff as he came to a stop. He walked forward, thinking,  _Protectors. They keep talking about Duty and Unity and Destiny like it matters. Why bother uniting to accomplish our duty if it’s all destined to end?_

Ahead was a wide break in the ground. Approaching its edge, Ahkmou looked down to see a deep ravine, the bottom of which could not be seen in the darkness.

“This wasn’t here the other day. Umarak? Ah, who cares.”

He backed up a ways and prepared himself. He took off running, raising his staff as he came closer, and just before he reached the edge, he thrust it into the ground, intending to vault over the gap.

The unstable edge crumbled away beneath him.

Ahkmou could barely register what had happened as he tumbled down the ravine, repeatedly crashing through and bouncing off of branches he couldn’t make out, until he finally hit the ground with a dull thud. He tried to get up, but dizziness overtook him. The villager collapsed in the dirt. He thought he saw a point of faint golden light out of the corner of his eye, but it too was soon engulfed by the blackness.

He felt heavy. He reached out, and found that he could see his arm clearly despite the total darkness. “Is this a dream?”

“ _Perhaps it is.”_

Ahkmou leapt up, brandishing his staff. “W-Who’s there?!”

“ _At ease, Ahkmou. I have no desire to harm you.”_

Ahkmou gulped. He spun around, thinking he heard something move. Nothing was there.

“ _You are quite the remarkable villager. You seek to challenge the Protectors rather than blindly trust them. It is quite an admirable decision.”_

“Uh…thanks…”

“ _You think their time should be at an end, don’t you? I agree. Their ancient truths have no place in this world anymore.”_

Ahkmou slowly lowered his staff. “…Yes. Yes, I feel the same. Their ways have become outdated.”

“ _A change is in order. The current Okoto is unstable, in constant chaos. It must be made stable. It is destined to stand still.”_

“The Protectors say everything is constantly changing,” Ahkmou chuckled. “But if you ask me, all that means is that everything is constantly disappearing.”

“ _Indeed. One person’s truth cannot be said to be the real truth. They speak of Duty, yet that Duty is merely something they chose. They speak of Unity, but some are strong without need of others. They speak of Destiny…they know not what their Destiny holds. There is only one Destiny shared by all things.”_

“And that is?”

The voice laughed, a deep, echoing chortle that surrounded Ahkmou.  _“I think you know already. The Destiny of everything in this world...is that one day, it must all come to an end.”_

Ahkmou grinned. “Yes, of course. And how can something matter if it is destined to end?”

“ _What if I told you there was a way to transcend that ending? To escape even the one inescapable Destiny?”_

The villager looked up. “Really?”

“ _It is actually very simple. To have meaning beyond the end…you must be the one to bring about that end. For after that, who will there be to deny your meaning?”_

Ahkmou pondered this.

“ _I can give you that power. The power of ending, the power to escape ending. Power over Destiny itself. Would you like that?”_

He tightened his grip on his staff.  _…Bring about the end…to escape the end? Be the one who enacts Destiny rather than let Destiny end me?_

“…Heh…”

A chilling grin formed behind his mask. “I’ll admit, that much control has a certain appeal.”

“ _Excellent. Come forth, and I shall grant you this power.”_

Ahkmou walked forward. Suddenly, he felt his foot move out over open space, and moments later he was falling again. When he opened his eyes, he was back on the canyon floor, clutching his staff in the darkness, unable to see anything.

A soft light ebbed over him. Something had been fused to the top of his staff: a short strip of gold that became the fractured remains of a circular disk, about one-third of its edge gone and what remained of its surface covered in small, almost-unnoticeable cracks. Ahkmou admired it as he stood, commenting, “It’s lovely, but I find it hard to imagine a mere staff head can control Destiny.”

“ _Open your mind, Ahkmou. With this tool, you will be able to shape reality, but only if you unleash the darkest depths of your imagination.”_

Ahkmou looked up. “Well, can this thing help me get out of this ravine? I’d rather not spend the night down here.”

“ _Place the tip against the stone.”_

Waving the staff around, Ahkmou used its glow to find the ravine wall and approached it. Taking another look at the weapon, he sighed, extended it, and lightly tapped it against the rock face. It shook in response.

“Oh?”

The stone began to twist and pull itself free, reaching out in several directions as a large, writhing chunk of it fell to the ground. The mass of rock began to shape itself into an animal-like form with four powerful claws, its head featureless save for two glowing red eyes. It looked up at Ahkmou curiously.

The villager chuckled. “I see…yes, this ability has quite a lot of potential…”

The creature leapt upon the wall, digging its claws into the surface. Ahkmou grabbed onto its back as it started to climb, holding his staff out to help guide it; it took some time, but eventually they climbed out onto the surface, and Ahkmou let go. The creature crumbled away, its purpose fulfilled.

Ahkmou took another look at the staff in the moonlight. It looked rusty, and he noticed similar patches on his hand.

“ _An excellent start. But, in order to complete this power, there is more you must do.”_

Ahkmou grunted. “I see. Give me a taste before you explain what all I’m really getting into. Fine, let’s hear it.”

“ _Scattered about this island are items similar to the one you now possess. I can guide you to them. With each you obtain, your power will grow, and if all are brought to the Black Crater, this ability can be perfected.”_

“The Black Crater…”

Ahkmou stared at the head of his staff. “…Wait. What exactly are these things?”

“ _You will be gathering the fragments of my greatest creation. The most powerful mask ever created on this island.”_

The villager’s eyes widened as he realized. “You’re…Makuta?”

“ _Hahaha…who else would empower you in your efforts against the Protectors?”_

Ahkmou’s hands shook. “This is a piece of the Mask of Ultimate Power. How does it possess this power?”

“ _The mask is named so for a reason. Nothing is beyond its power, not even the power to create life where there is none. It is marvelous, is it not?”_

“I thought you were destroyed? How are you talking to me right now?”

“ _The union of the six elements opened a rift in the universe, sending me to a separate dimension. For so long, I have been cut off from the island of Okoto, regaining what power I can, and in the wake of Umarak’s destruction the boundary between our two realms has grown weaker. I cannot return to Okoto without the Mask, but the gap has closed enough that I can reach out to its pieces. Through this fragment, I have reached out to you.”_

Ahkmou continued to stare at the staff.

“ _Surely my identity is not off-putting. The only reason you would have to fear me is the story the Protectors tell, and I know that you put no stock in their tales. This is what you wanted, is it not? The power to create life, to craft destiny, to escape the inevitable end? Will you not pursue it?”_

Ahkmou rapped his staff against the ground. It shuddered at the impact, and he could feel it ready to obey his commands. He smiled. A small ember of black flame appeared around the staff head as Ahkmou began to walk forward.

“Where is the next fragment?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Again, everyone loves to hate Ahkmou.  
> -When G2 was rushed to cancellation, I found myself wondering about the original plan and how things might’ve played out differently. The Destroyer didn’t really do much destroying, and gathering the fragments of the MoUP sounded like a 17 arc, so I wanted to tweak things and see how they could have turned out. I think this actually might’ve been inspired by someone inviting me to join a G2 continuation project, but I felt like filling in everything between this and the end would be a lot of repetitive work, so I opted to do this instead.  
> -Ahkmou would have been the winter wave villain in this idea, with the summer wave of sets being mostly made up of creatures he animated using the staff. By the end, he obviously would have gathered all the fragments and opened a portal at the Black Crater, and, shocker, Makuta would absorb or kill him. Also, every time he uses these powers his armor gets rustier, until at the climax his whole body is covered in rust.


	17. Second Star

"Ugh…"

Slowly, Jaller pushed himself up off the ground. He blinked, but his sight remained blurry. Standing up, he reached out for something to balance himself with and grabbed hold of a tree branch.

"Why am I so dizzy?"

He was starting to see more clearly now. Oddly, however, he couldn't help but feel everything looked…smaller. Assuming he must not be recovering as fast as he thought, he put a hand to his head. But the hand that responded to his command didn't look familiar.

"Huh?"

Jaller looked down at himself. His body had changed completely, now at least twice as tall as he had been before and looking much more muscular, covered in red and gold armor with cyan lines that started at his extremities and all ran back to meet at the center of his chest. There was also a weight on his back, like he was carrying something.

"I look like…Toa Tahu."

That was when he remembered. He and the others had been driven to the edge of a cliff by the Enforcers, outnumbered and overpowered. Just before they moved in, Jaller remembered looking up at the sky, and seeing a flash from the six stars that represented the Toa. He remembered bolts of lightning shooting out, striking them all, a sudden rush of energy, and then…nothing.

_Wait, where are the others?_

Setting the mystery of his appearance aside for the moment, Jaller spun and surveyed the forest clearing, nearly tripping over his new limbs in the process. Walking a short distance, he came upon a river cutting through the trees. Someone was crouched on its bank, someone with a similar build to him but with dark blue and white armor. The metal plating sported the same cyan lines, and she carried a sword with a hook on its tip. Though she didn't exactly look familiar, Jaller had an idea of who it might be.

"Hahli?" he asked tentatively.

She looked up at him. "…Jaller? Is that you?" Smiling, she stood, stuffing a few seashells into her bag as she did. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"What're those shells for?"

"These? For trading. There's someone back at the City who can use these, and if I can grab a few more and handful of seaweed she should be able to make something really useful!"

Jaller sighed.  _Yep. Only Hahli would collect materials so obsessively._

"Anyway," Jaller said, "let's track down the others and see if we can get back to the City. Maybe someone there can explain what's going on."

As Hahli nodded in response, they heard a twig snap. A moment later, they heard another. She drew her sword, meanwhile Jaller reached for his back to find out what he was carrying. There were two weapons there, with guards made of jagged gold and blades that looked like crimson tongues of flame. He tried to find a good stance with them, but soon a voice could be heard over the sound of snapping, one Jaller thought he recognized.

"…doesn't make any sense! They're specifically programmed  _not_  to harm villagers, didn't look damaged in any way. I mean, even if they  _were_  somehow damaged, there are safeguards in place to prevent exactly this! Oh, how in the world did this happen?!"

Jaller and Hahli moved forward to find the source: a tall, broad-shouldered being encased in black armor that bore cyan lines identical to the ones on their armors, with a small, plain-looking metal cylinder mounted on one wrist. He stopped when he saw them, and for a moment they just stared at each other.

"I'm guessing that's you, Nuparu?" Jaller asked.

Nuparu looked between the two of them. "…Jaller…Hahli. Right. I suppose it would be stranger if I was the only one affected."

"What happened, Nuparu?" Hahli asked. "Why were those Enforcers chasing us?"

Nuparu threw his arms wide. "That's what _I've_  been trying to figure out! When I built the Enforcers, I programmed them  _never_ to harm a villager—well, barring certain  _very_  extreme circumstances—and added at least two dozen safety protocols to prevent them from even  _considering_  violating that directive. They should have self-destructed before they started firing at us!"

"Take it easy," Jaller said. "We'll figure this out later. For now, let's just find the others."

Continuing to grumble to himself, Nuparu nonetheless fell into step behind the two of them as they went deeper into the forest. Angry shouting drew their attention, bringing them to where a large being with brown and gunmetal armor was slowly making his way up a tree. The shouting, however, was coming from further up, where someone in green armor was wedged between two branches.

"Hurry it up! When you said you were going to help, I figured you'd actually be of some help!"

The climber grinned. "I am helping, Kongu. But it'd be too easy if I just jumped up there and knocked you loose—it takes a lot more precision this way, and by taking my time it'll help me build up some greater stamina."

"And what if those Enforcers come back, huh? What then? You gonna ask them to wait politely while you continue stamina-building? Think they'll go for that, Hewkii?"

Jaller tried not to smile as he called, "Hewkii!" The brown armored one turned. "Please, just get him down. We shouldn't waste time."

"Jaller?" Kongu asked, craning his neck. "Is that you? Finally someone with sense! Hey, you heard him: get me down from here!"

Sighing heavily, Hewkii dropped to the ground and produced his weapon, a long chain with a large metal sphere at either end. After spinning one end for a few seconds, he yanked and sent it flying at the branches clamped around Kongu, splintering them instantly and causing his friend to fall out of the tree with a loud thud.

"…Gee, thanks," Kongu mumbled as he dusted himself off.

"At least I got practice with this new weapon," Hewkii said, mostly to himself.

"Yeah, good for you. And it looks like the three of you got something? Huh. Seems like whoever did whatever to us didn't see fit to give little old me a weapon of my own."

The tree continued shaking, and soon another object fell out of its branches. Kongu turned to see something resembling the Elemental Blasters of the Protectors, only enlarged and lengthened into a cannon about the same size as him, and with the addition of a second handle under the barrel to provide better grip. For a time he just stood there, his expression frozen in surprise as he stared at the weapon.

Finally looking upward, he whispered, "Thank you."

Jaller shook his head. He noticed Hahli picking some berries behind him, so he tapped her on the shoulder to let her know they were moving on—she caught up faster than Kongu, who took a while to figure out how to properly lift his cannon and refused to accept any more help from Hewkii.

After a few minutes the trees began to thin. Coming closer to the edge of the forest, they could spot movement nearby and slowed in caution. Jaller prepared to draw his swords as he strafed around a tree to get a better look: it was someone with white armor similar to theirs, with the same cyan pattern, though a bit shorter than any of them, and he carried two small shields on his arms. He was currently producing an odd series of whistles and clicks, and a bird sitting on a nearby branch was mimicking the sounds back at him.

"That's Matoro, for sure," Jaller said.

Matoro turned sharply as they came into view. After whistling to the bird once more, he said, "Hello, everyone. At least, I'm assuming it's you. It's a bit hard to be sure."

Jaller greeted Matoro and then looked past him. The plains continued on a short way before turning to foothills, and behind that the mountains steadily rose. Pointing, he said, "The City of the Mask Makers should be that way, if I'm not mistaken. Let's get home and start figuring out just what's happened to us."

"And what's happened to the Enforcers," Hahli said.

"Right," Nuparu said through gritted teeth. "If I tear one of those malfunctioning units apart I should get a pretty good idea."

As they began to move, the bird Matoro had been talking to started to squawk and flap its wings, causing the Ice villager to take notice. The creature flew away, and he said, "Um, I think we should—"

He was cut off as a blast of energy struck the ground nearby, kicking up a thick cloud of dirt and knocking the six off their feet. Nuparu was the first to get up—he traced the blast's trajectory and glared at the foothills, spotting something glowing. Attached to a metal base with eight small legs was a gigantic red gun, its barrel composed of several connected plates of thick armor with green light pulsing from its depths.

"It's an Artillery Model Enforcer!" he shouted. "Darn, that's malfunctioning too?! Take cover!"

The Enforcer glowed brighter as it prepared another shot. The villagers scrambled back into the forest, and when the next blast hit they were well clear of the impact.

"What's our best chance, Nuparu?" Jaller asked.

"Any one of us could disable it if we got close enough, but therein lies the trick. We'd be sitting ducks if we tried to approach it!"

Kongu hefted his weapon. "I mean…I could just take it out from right here? I'm sure this thing can match its range."

"Are you sure you know how to use that?" Jaller asked.

"Point and shoot. How complicated could it be?"

Not waiting for approval, Kongu went to find a better position. Before he could, however, something struck him in the leg, making him crumple and lose his grip on the cannon. The others spun to see three forms moving towards them. Each was made entirely of black and white metal, with a pulsing orange crystal at the center of their broad torso, and had a sleek, narrow head with a vaguely insectoid look. The machines had three long multi-jointed legs, and mounted where their left arm should have been was a rifle that crackled with electricity. The only arm they had was oversized and heavily armored, ending in four flexible claws that were currently being used to uproot the trees that stood in the automata's way.

"Infantry Model Enforcers," Matoro identified. He shrank behind his shields, and some of the others followed his lead.

Jaller set a hand on Kongu's shoulder. "Can you move?"

Kongu watched his leg as he tested it. Slowly, he got upright, saying, "I…actually feel fine. The stun only lasted a few seconds. Think they're running low on power?"

One of the Enforcers moved forward, swinging its massive arm towards him. Jaller parried the strike with both of his swords while Kongu scrambled back. Above them, a flash and the sound of tree branches breaking notified the team that the Artillery Model hadn't given up on them yet.

"Kongu, we're still counting on you to take that one out," Jaller said as he repelled the Infantry. "Matoro, you go with him and make sure he doesn't get shot from behind."

Hesitantly, Matoro nodded. Kongu lifted his cannon and said, "Yeah, getting shot once in a day is enough for me. C'mon, pal."

As they retreated, one of the Infantry fired another stun bolt at Kongu—leaping forward, Matoro caught it on his shield, and the two of them quickened their pace as their allies moved to form a line. The machine in front of Jaller seemed to regard him curiously as its companions advanced.

"Nuparu, if you have any advice, this is the time," the Fire villager said.

"Hmm…what are we now, 6 feet, 7?" Nuparu held a hand above his eyes and squinted. "Yeah, that should work. Okay, aim for the top of the chest!"

The Enforcer before Jaller pushed its claws together and lengthened them into a single long blade. It slashed, and Jaller barely had time to block. While he was distracted, it shot him with its stun gun, making him fall to his knees, and then reared back to swing again. However, Jaller regained his bearings near-instantly. Rolling out of the way, he sprang up and made a high swing, missing the target Nuparu had indicated but dealing a solid hit to the machine's face.

As Hewkii and Hahli engaged the other two, the latter asked, "Is that their weak point?"

"Essentially," Nuparu replied, edging away. "If enough pressure is applied there, it'll trigger a mechanism that ejects their power cores, rendering them inactive."

"Not exactly sporting," Hewkii said. He dodged the Enforcer's attack and threw a punch, snapping the barrel off of its stun gun. Taking a moment to duck, he reached up as its arm passed over him and pulled, flipping it over. The Enforcer's legs twisted and quickly got it back on its feet. Rather than pressing his advantage, Hewkii hung back and let the Enforcer balance itself.

Hahli swung her sword blindly, managing to push the Enforcer back. A stun bolt sailed past her and went on until it struck Nuparu. Narrowly blocking a swipe, she shouted, "You could lend a hand, you know!"

"I'm an  _engineer_ , not a fighter!" Nuparu replied, rubbing his numb shoulder.

"Well you'll have to adapt! You've got a weapon, so use it!"

Nuparu grumbled as he looked over the cylinder on his wrist. "Mmm…doesn't have a trigger…no buttons…how do you use this?"

Hahli made a clean cut through the arm of the Enforcer she was dueling, prompting it to put some distance between them. She watched it closely, but suddenly something bumped into her from behind—Jaller had backed up without realizing she was there, and in a second they were both stunned.

"Darn it," Jaller said. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's—" Hahli started, cutting herself off to pull Jaller out of the way of another bolt.

Meanwhile, Kongu and Matoro had found a ridge to hide behind to initiate their assault on the Artillery Model Enforcer. Matoro kept an eye on the forest just in case, while Kongu alternated between ducking behind the natural barrier and springing up to unload as many shots as he could. Each time he pulled the cannon's trigger, its barrel began to rotate ferociously, letting off green-hued energy blasts faster than he could count. To his credit, his aim was excellent, but the Artillery Model's armor was designed to take quite a bit of punishment and keep returning the favor. Progress was ultimately rather slow.

"Shoot," Kongu said as he ducked again. The ridge rattled as a shot hit it, shaking loose a layer of dust that floated over him. "How's a guy to enjoy his shiny new Cannon O' Death if the target refuses to actually die?"

"W-Well, it seems to be working."

"But it's taking  _forever_! Aren't you getting impatient?"

"I don't think I'd say that."

"Okay, just me. I'm gonna get closer."

Matoro jumped. "What?! But that's dangerous, and unnecessary! It'll shoot you for sure!"

Kongu was already peering over the ridge, trying to pick out the best path. "Making sure it doesn't is your job, remember?"

"My shields can't block those artillery blasts!"

Another blast rocked their hiding spot, and then Kongu leapt into action. "Don't worry, I believe in you!"

Frantically, Matoro sprinted after him.

Back in the forest, Jaller and Hahli were still staying low to avoid stun bolts while Hewkii grappled with his chosen foe. Apparently forgotten by the Enforcers, Nuparu continued to poke at his weapon, trying to figure out how it worked. In frustration he grabbed it and pulled, but after it moved back a few inches he heard a click, and the cylinder immediately shot back to its initial position and began to emit a whine. Yellow energy began to gather at the end above his hand.

"Oh," he said. "Um, okay, then do I just…?"

He spun and pointed at the Enforcers. Nothing happened.

"Then maybe…"

He tried pulling the weapon again only to find it was locked in place. When he clenched his fist, however, an orb of yellow energy launched through the air, landing a few meters behind his targets.

"Ah, I missed."

The moment the orb hit the ground, it burst into a brilliant explosion of light that reduced at least a dozen trees to ash, the shockwaves enough to knock the two Enforcers attacking Jaller and Hahli off of their feet. Nuparu's eyed widened as he processed the event.

"…How interesting."

Hahli wasted no time marveling. She charged at the nearest Enforcer and thrust her blade, the tip piercing straight through the armor beneath its neck and causing its whole body to stiffen. The plating down its chest slid apart suddenly, and its core was unceremoniously dumped onto the forest floor. Hahli pulled back and watched the Enforcer warily—it remained frozen in place, the light gone from its eyes.

Jaller, however, took a little more time getting up. The Enforcer was on him in seconds and swung its arm, sending him sprawling. Hahli turned to help, but the Enforcer spun and aimed its stun gun, delaying her aid. Gripping his swords tightly, Jaller glared up at the Enforcer as it readied its own blade, a powerful rage boiling up from within him. As it swung down, he swung up. Before their blades met, Jaller's mask glowed faintly, followed by his sword. The Enforcer's blade snapped in two as a wave of flame and electricity surged forth from Jaller's weapon, searing off the machine's head and arcing high into the sky above. The four villagers stared in disbelief as the sparking, charred remains of the disabled Enforcer staggered to the ground.

_What just happened?_  Jaller wondered as he gazed at his sword.

Unfortunately for Hewkii, the final Enforcer wasn't as easily distracted by the display. With a powerful uppercut, it flung the Stone villager across the clearing, and then took a cautious step forward.

"Stay back!" Nuparu warned, pulling on his weapon. Hahli and Jaller ran in the opposite direction as the Enforcer faced Nuparu, and before it could formulate a plan of attack, an explosive sphere reduced it to scrap.

Hewkii groaned as he sat up. "Hey, that one was mine!"

"And you probably could have beaten it by now if you'd gone for the weak point," Hahli replied. "You didn't even use your weapon—were you even trying?"

"Of course I was! I just wanted to put a little extra challenge in it is all."

Hahli sighed and shook her head. Stooping next to the defeated Enforcer, she picked up its core and stuffed it into her bag, along with a moss-covered rock that was lying nearby. Jaller stored his swords and approached Nuparu.

"Any new insight?" he asked.

The inventor shrugged. "Not at the moment. Hey, what was that, when you…"

"I don't know." Jaller looked into the sky for a moment. "But...wait. Where are Kongu and Matoro?"

The four of them ran out of the forest to find their friends running over open field in the general direction of the Artillery Model, weaving back and forth as fast as they could to avoid the energy blasts being hurled towards them. Kongu answered each of the Enforcer's shots with a few rounds of his own, but then quickly got moving again, while Matoro served mainly as a distraction.

"What are they doing?!" Hahli exclaimed. "They're going to get themselves killed!"

Jaller pointed a sword at the Enforcer, hoping he could duplicate the electric flamethrower from before. All he got was a faint sizzle. The Enforcer let off another shot, barely missing Kongu; the Jungle villager prepared to retaliate, but his foot caught on a rock in his path, and he fell flat with his cannon pinning him under its enormous weight.

"Kongu!" Nuparu shouted. He ran forward and began charging his weapon, but he wasn't sure he could launch it far enough to be helpful. Hewkii, Hahli, and Jaller were right behind him, though they had even less of an idea of what to do.

As Kongu struggled to free himself, the Enforcer took note of his vulnerability and prepared another shot. Energy shone along the length of its barrel as it swiveled around, and with a futile grunt, Kongu braced himself.

In all of this, nobody, not even the Enforcer, was paying attention to Matoro. Being the closest to the living gun, he realized he was the one with the best chance to save Kongu. Without thinking much more, he dropped one shield, grabbed the other with both hands, and spun around a few times before hurling it with all his might. The flung shield whizzed through the air towards the Enforcer, and ultimately lodged itself in the cannon's deadly maw. The firing sequence had already begun, but with the barrel stopped, the energy had nowhere to go. With a terrible roar, the Enforcer's gun barrel exploded into shrapnel. Matoro fell to his knees and let out a loud breath.

From where he lay, Kongu glanced at Matoro. Slowly, he grinned, and said, "And  _you_  said your shields wouldn't be of any use against the thing."

***

The six villagers stood silently in the Temple of Creation. Before them, Ekimu sat at his workbench, carving details into a newly-made mask. Upon returning to the City they had been brought to the Mask Maker and explained what had happened, and now, they waited patiently for his response.

Setting down the mask, Ekimu looked up at the ceiling. "I see…then it seems things are worse than I feared."

He stood and faced them. "First of all, as for your antagonists, you should know that it is not an isolated incident. I have begun to hear of Enforcers going rogue in every Region."

Nuparu tensed. "But that…it  _still_  doesn't make any sense! They were built for the sole purpose of  _protecting_  villagers! The cores weren't damaged, their processors were fine,  _every_  safeguard should still be functioning! Mask Maker, I swear I did  _everything_ —"

Ekimu held up a hand. "I know this is not your fault, Nuparu. But whatever the case, something must be done about this crisis…and it would seem you six have been selected."

"Selected?" Jaller repeated. "Selected by whom?"

Chuckling, Ekimu said, "Isn't it obvious? You have been selected by the Toa to act in their stead."

Everyone exchanged glances. Kongu rolled his eyes.

"It has been only four years since the Toa left us. Since it takes the planets one thousand years to align, they will be unable to help us deal with any new threats that may arise in the meantime—even were we to use the Mask of Time again, it could take years, perhaps decades to bring their arrival. But they would not simply leave us without the means to defend ourselves."

Pointing at the six, he went on, "You said lightning fell from the Toa's stars, and transformed you. That bolt ignited something deep within each of you, bringing out a power you did not know you possessed. The Toa have foreseen an impending disaster, and they have granted their power to you so that you may stop it."

"You're saying that we have the power of the Toa now?" Hahli asked. "…Jaller did summon fire…"

Jaller shifted. "Maybe, but it wasn't like Tahu's fire. It was flame and electricity together—I've never heard of him doing that."

"Is it so surprising that the lightning that transformed you is with you still?" Ekimu asked. "You are a different kind of Toa, created to face a different problem. You may need these different abilities in order to succeed."

Hewkii flexed one arm, feeling his new strength. "So this is the power of the Toa! Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go be heroes!"

"But…what exactly are we supposed to do?" Matoro asked.

Hewkii opened his mouth to speak, but found he was at a loss. He sheepishly turned to Ekimu.

"For the time being, I believe you should each return to your home Regions," the Mask Maker advised. "Your Protectors can assist you in learning to control the Elemental Power at your disposal, and more importantly, you must keep your villages safe from the Enforcers. And, once the Protectors feel you are ready…you will undergo a trial to achieve even greater power."

"Golden masks, probably?" Kongu asked. When Ekimu nodded, he muttered, "Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same."

"I will investigate this matter more closely," Ekimu said. "Were these simply random malfunctions, we wouldn't need Toa. I suspect something far more dangerous is behind these rogue machines…"

Ekimu held out his hands, and looked at the new Toa one by one. "Jaller, Star of Fire. Hahli, Star of Water. Hewkii, Star of Stone. Kongu, Star of Jungle. Nuparu, Star of Earth. And Matoro, Star of Ice. You have inherited the mantle of the Toa, and it now falls to you to master the power you have been given and use it to protect your home. I have faith that you will face your task with great courage and perseverance. Best of luck."

Satisfied, the Toa took their leave. On his way out of the Temple, Jaller stopped in front of a sheet of metal, noticing his reflection. He still had trouble recognizing that it was really him.

… _Is it?_

He reached out, pressing his hand against the image.

_Ekimu says we've become Toa. Are we still the people we used to be…or have we really_ become  _the Toa? Am I still Jaller? Or has Jaller been replaced by Tahu?_

He wondered what his friends would think when they saw him. As he thought of them, it reminded him of the Enforcers, and that even those in the Region of Fire were going rogue. Pulling away, Jaller continued on his way out of the Temple.

_Either way, it's up to me to keep them safe. And I'm going to make sure that I do._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Like I mentioned before: this story was written for a contest where the theme was something you’d like to see in a continuation of G2. I began to think about what later parts of G1 could have been adapted, and thought the Inika could be an interesting subject, though I decided to have their enemies be adaptations of Vahki rather than Piraka to give Nuparu a personal connection.  
> -As in G1, these Toa have lightning intertwined with their Elemental Powers, as well as coursing through their body—the cyan lines on their armor are meant to represent this. It’s this lightning that makes them resistant to the Enforcers’ stun guns, in counterpart to the Inika being immune to antidermis. Since the bios for the Masters took care to mention a special quirk for each Toa, I wanted to try to continue that trend, so these Toa are a bit exaggerated in comparison to their original selves. Hahli can’t stop farming items because that’s all MNOGII is; Hewkii’s challenge-seeking brought up in Mahri-Nui is way worse this time around; Nuparu talks to himself, and a lot; bird-speak may be more associated with Nuju, but Matoro also knew it, so I went with that; Kongu…is pretty much the same. I do feel like I didn’t do much with Jaller here, though. As hinted at the end, these Toa were going to have a bit of an existential crisis, with Jaller having it the worst of them all, but I didn’t get to show much of that in this bit here.  
> -Right, weapons! Jaller has two swords (cannot remember what I named them) because apparently that was the case with Jaller Inika’s prototype, and that was what Greg had in mind when he wrote the story. Hewkii’s weapon is something called a meteor hammer, with this particular one named “Chained Comet” as a reference to the Comet kohlii balls. Nuparu’s weapon, the Nova Launcher, is obviously based on his weapon in Bionicle Heroes. Shields seemed like a good fit for Matoro’s passive nature. Kongu loves his guns, so I decided to give him the most ridiculous gun I could: the Cyclone Bazooka! And Hahli’s weapon, the Harpoon Cutlass, is based on her Inika weapon, though modified a bit to enhance its combat ability—it has an edge for slicing, but the tip is also good for piercing, giving it good utility.  
> -Originally, I was actually going to show an endpoint of this hypothetical arc, with the idea being that Narmoto’s son, Protector of Fire Dume, had taken control of the Enforcers and wanted to rule Okoto. Going with the starting point seemed like a better idea, plus it let me show the Inika acting as new Toa rather than being instant experts, which I turned out liking more. I believe I was also planning a few other Enforcer models…Scout Model, probably, and I think I was going to have the Infantry Model be a bit different to separate them from a Brawler Model? Well, Infantry and Artillery suffice.  
> -And that’s everything! Thank you for checking out this collection, I hope you found at least one story you liked!

**Author's Note:**

> -Some of these stories were written all the way back in 2013, and some of them were written as recently as 2017, but they’re all very short and I’ve got a lot to repost as is, so I’m going to compile all my pre-existing Bionicle oneshots in one convenient location so I don’t completely flood this place. Because of this, there really isn’t a unifying theme—these are just a bunch of Bionicle stories I’ve come up with over the years. Most of them are G1 stories, though the last couple are going to be G2.  
> -That being said, several of them do actually have a connection: they were written for a series of flash fiction contests with a 1000 word limit, which also explains why many will be very short. That includes this story, which actually won the contest it was entered in! I'll always note which ones were written for contests.  
> -Now, as for this story in particular, I think we can all agree that Ahkmou is one of the characters we love to hate the most. There's also the massive, unknown potential of Spherus Magna, which will turn up in a lot of these stories, and I wondered what that jerk might get into after being kicked out of the Matoran Universe. He certainly couldn't go back to the Matoran after ruling Metru-Nui with an iron fist. I don't entirely recall why I ended up choosing a Zyglak as the one to find him, but being such hated outcasts I do still think they make a good match for him.  
> -After the success of this story, I decided to try to write more focusing on the Great Disk Matoran, but my ultimate goal never quite materialized. Still, I'm pretty proud of most products of that attempt.


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